Beavers on the Kennet

Beavers are living wild on the Kennet near Newbury. On Saturday March 14, a large audience attended a community event in Newbury organised by Action for the River Kennet(ARK) aimed at informing local people in the Kennet and Pang catchments about the benefits and potential challenges beavers can bring with them.  Dr Rob Needham from the Beaver Trust and Gareth Harris, Ecologist, Beavers in Wiltshire Advisory Service gave a comprehensive overview of Beavers, the reintroduction of this native species and their effect on the landscape. Together with Charlotte Hitchmough, Director of ARK, the speakers explained how to identify signs of beaver activity and how to report sightings as it is crucial to record how the population is growing. (Please see image at the top of this article for advice.)

Beavers are a protected species under conservation law and it is illegal without a licence to damage or destroy their breeding sites or resting places or indeed to kill, injure, capture or disturb beavers. Releasing beavers into the wild requires a licence and doing so without one is an offence.

Beavers are a British native species, historically persecuted and wiped out in Britain. They were hunted and their fur was turned into pelt for hats. By the end of the nineteenth century they had become extinct in the UK. Following a European Directive (when we were part of the EU) to reintroduce native species, planned releases occurred in Scotland and various parts of the UK. Beavers can help regenerate the landscape. They cut down trees and build dams which can improve water quality and filter out pollutants. There are some concerns about their effect on fish, particularly as the building of dams tends to destroy the shallow spawning areas.

So where have the beavers come from who are now living wild on the Kennet today? And how soon will they reach Marlborough? There is archaeological evidence to show that beavers were living on the Kennet in Newbury and Thatcham four to five hundred years ago. However, there has been no planned release in this area.

The speakers speculated that perhaps this was an illegal release or as it is known that beavers have escaped from enclosures such as the Cotswold Wildlife Park have they somehow found their way to the Kennet? There were releases on the Bristol Avon (inc. River Frome) and beavers appeared on the Upper Avon not far from Pewsey in 2024. They have also been spotted on the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Evidence from field signs and camera trap footage reveals the number of beavers on the Kennet runs into double figures. It is clear the beavers are here to stay and it will only be a matter of time before they move up the river to Marlborough. It is rare to see beavers in daylight, but if you are keen to see them, Charlotte from ARK encourages you to volunteer with ARK. You will then be trained to spot evidence not only of beavers but of water voles and otters as well. Contact Anna Forbes on anna@kennetandpang.org if you would like to become a volunteer.