Baby beavers born in Sussex for first time in almost 500 years

They were captured playing in a river in Sussex

Two baby beavers or ‘kits’ were born at the Knepp Estate in Horsham in the UK.

Two baby beavers have been spotted frolicking in the Sussex area, marking the first-time ‘kits’ have been born in the area in 500 years.

The baby beavers or ‘kits’, were born at the Knepp Estate in Horsham in the UK. Their parents Brooke and Banksy have been at the estate since February 2022 and staff had been hopeful of some new arrivals as a result.

In a video shared to Knepp Wilding’s Facebook page, the pair of baby beavers — who are now almost adult size — can be seen playing in the water at night.

“We have baby beavers! Our pair of beavers, translocated to Knepp from Scotland last year, have two kits! This makes them the first beavers to breed in Sussex in around 500 years. This is a big landmark for Knepp and Sussex and we’re utterly thrilled,” Knepp Wilding said in the post.

Staff has been noticing that adult beavers, Brooke and Banksy were bringing fresh shoots back to their lodge which they hoped was a sign that they were feeding young.

“And now our trail cameras have captured the kits  — already almost adult size — playing in one of the many ponds their parents have created. Watch out for lots more footage of Knepp’s beaver family in the weeks, months and years to come.” 

In the UK, beavers were hunted to extinction about 500 years ago but had been reintroduced into various parts of the country after a five-year trial in the Devon area. 

According to Devon Wildlife Trust, it was the first legally sanctioned reintroduction of an extinct native mammal to England. Following the trial’s success, in 2020 the UK government announced that the beavers could stay in Devon.