Beavers are Returning to Major English Cities to Combat Flooding

Since William Shakespeare's time, beavers haven't been seen in London's waterways and woodlands. The rodents are being returned to the United Kingdom capital in a "very emotional" event after being extinct for almost 400 years.

Beavers Going Back

Washington's National Zoo Previews "American Trail" Exhibit — WASHINGTON - AUGUST 29: Two North American beavers check out a man-made beaver dam in the new beaver enclosure during a sneak peak of the new American Trail at the Smithsonian National Zoo August 29, 2012 in Washington, D.C. There are three beavers in the enclosure, Chipper, Buzz and Willow, all born in June of 2000. The trail, featuring animals and horticulture native to the Americas, opens to the public on September 1. Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images

On March 17, a pair of beavers called Justin Beaver and Sigourney Beaver was released into a specially created cage at Forty Hall Farm in Enfield. The beavers are part of Enfield Council's two-year effort to address the city's increasing number of catastrophic flash floods in recent years.

Bob Ward, deputy head of the London Climate Change Partnership, stated in February that the city's outmoded drainage infrastructure has made flood threats life-threatening.

He told the Observer that there is now a genuine risk of people drowning, particularly in basement apartments, if a huge flash flood occurs in the middle of the night. The matter is especially concerning because they have no clue how many people dwell in London's underground apartments.

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Report

According to the London Councils taskforce report, a city investigation from July 2021 indicated that the city received more than a month's average rain on numerous separate days. The month's heavy rains forced the shutdown of major hospitals and subway stations and flooding in over 1,000 residences.

The introduction of beavers is expected to result in the natural engineers building dams and restoring habitats that will help slow and filter water in the city's wetlands. Officials believe that by chopping down trees and introducing other types of species, the restoration operations would result in fewer downstream floods.

Appreciating Beavers

World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational - Preview Day 2 — AKRON, OH - JULY 31: A juvenile beaver is seen during a practice round prior to the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club South Course on July 31, 2018 in Akron, Ohio. Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

They're not only gorgeous creatures, but because of the ponds and dams they create, they help other animals and insects thrive, according to Ian Barnes, Enfield Council's deputy leader.

While the groups wait for the government to accept applications to release the animals into the wild, the conversation organizers expect the couple to procreate in the coming months.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, posted a video on Twitter to commemorate the beaver's release into the cage.

Great to see @EnfieldCouncil welcome beavers to their wetlands as part of a series of projects designed to help rewild the area. 🦫

Today City Hall has awarded £600,000 from our Rewild London Fund to projects across our city that will help restore nature.pic.twitter.com/WDcNHubrob
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 17, 2022