In what is likely an illegal level of adorableness, a retired environmental scientist has posted video of two kits taking what could very well be their first swim. The Guardian has reported that the young family has two to four kits.
“When I saw these new born baby beavers I was totally overwhelmed and thought it must be a miracle,” said videographer Tom Buckley in an interview with The Guardian. “One of the kits, however, seemed extremely unhappy to be out in the big wide world and as soon as its mother let it go it rushed back to its burrow. Not surprising really – the world can be a very scary place. This was possibly their first experience of what lies outside of their burrow.”
These beavers were first seen in the area last year – and they were the first reported beavers in England in approximately 400 years. The Devon Wildlife Trust brought together stakeholders to create a plan to protect and study the beavers in their once natural habitat, The Guardian noted.
An official from the Trust has even needed to consistently remind the public, all eager as … eager people to see the new beaver kits, to keep their distance.
Meanwhile, in Canada, beavers are killed in horrific, inherently inhumane traps, simply for existing. We reported recently on the disturbing revelation that nearly 40,000 beavers had been slaughtered in Saskatchewan in 2014. Despite the available non-lethal, sustainable solutions that The Fur-Bearers can provide to prevent beaver conflict, landowners are quick to trap and kill beavers, tearing apart wild families.
We can learn a lesson from the excitement and curiosity of the British Beaver observers and treat these wild families with the respect they deserve.
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