• Outdoors Outdoors

Experts thrilled after trail cameras capture creatures' unexpected behavior: 'Critical'

"Helps us restore natural processes."

Recent camera trap footage at Longleat Safari Park shows two wild beaver families welcoming new kits, even after an unusually dry year.

Photo Credit: iStock

Wildlife cameras have captured an encouraging sight at Longleat Safari Park in England, and conservationists say it offers hope for ecosystems struggling under increasing environmental stress.

ITVX reported that recent camera trap footage shows two wild beaver families welcoming new kits, even after an unusually dry year that made survival more difficult for many species.

Volunteers and researchers at the park confirmed that each family produced two or three healthy baby beavers. Considering the species is endangered in England, this is a major milestone worth celebrating.

"Camera trap videos show two of our beaver families happily eating and grooming each other," Tom Lewis, head of conservation and research at Longleat, said.

As this story shows, wildlife cameras are a helpful tool for monitoring populations and gauging the success of conservation efforts. Trail cameras have caught rare sightings of everything from wild cougar births in Michigan to critically endangered Sumatran tigers in Indonesia.

As extreme weather becomes more common because of rising temperatures linked to human-generated pollution, examples such as this one show how restoring native species can strengthen ecosystems in ways that benefit wildlife and people.

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Beavers, sometimes called "ecosystem engineers," build dams that slow water flow, reduce flooding, and create wetlands that support birds, amphibians, insects, and plants. Their dams also filter water and recharge groundwater, which is beneficial for the entire surrounding community of animals and people.

Since 2020, Longleat's beaver population has grown from just two families to four — a sign that careful habitat management and long-term conservation planning are paying off.

Every territory couldn't be monitored, as some heavily wooded spots had restricted access. But Lewis said new feeding stations and expanded foraging areas suggested that beavers in the area were successfully breeding.

"Having beavers at Longleat helps us restore natural processes that increase biodiversity," he explained. "In the drought, most streams dried up, but the beaver ponds held water, which was critical for other wildlife this summer."

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