Beavers return to one of Scotland’s great glens after 400 years.

Seven beavers have been released into Glen Affric, a Highlands reserve famed for its ancient Caledonian pinewoods. The family group and a breeding pair are the first to live here since the Great Plague of London in 1625.

This is the latest chapter in a much larger ecological story now underway across Britain. Three things to note:

First, the species has moved from extinction to active expansion in just over a decade. The first licensed reintroduction occurred in Knapdale in 2009; subsequent natural and illegal releases created unstoppable momentum. In 2019, beavers were granted legal protection in Scotland, and in 2021 similar moves followed in England. That shift in legal status has reframed beavers not as “nuisance wildlife” but as a native ecosystem engineer whose return is a public-policy goal. Of course, the beavers themselves didn’t change - just our human attitudes towards them.

Second, the strategy has shifted from passive acceptance to proactive translocation. Scotland’s national beaver strategy now calls for relocating animals and establishing them in new catchments, especially on public land. England is on a similar pathway, thanks to recent licensed releases in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, the Cotswolds and Kent.

Third - it’s working! Multiple studies have documented reduced peak flood flows, improved water quality, increased invertebrate and bird richness, and local economic uplift through nature-based tourism. These measurable impacts have strengthened political support.

The biggest remaining challenge is coexistence: beavers can damage crops and infrastructure, so management plans, compensation schemes and rapid-response teams are going to have to become part of the rollout.

For now though… we get to enjoy these cute videos. Imagine being one of the kids :)