Cornwall’s new beavers have been busy since their release last summer building dams and creating pools in their five-acre enclosure. 

Now Cornwall Wildlife Trust is organising a series of guided tours of the site at Woodland Valley Farm in Ladock, near Truro, this spring and summer, to give everyone a chance to see how the creatures are transforming the site and creating more wildlife habitat areas.

Beavers had not been in Cornwall for over 400 years but within just two days of their release they began busily damming the outlet from the existing pond on-site, soon making it wider and deeper. Researchers involved in the project estimate that water now takes an hour to drain through the site when it used to take just 15 minutes- this is significant as Ladock village downstream suffers from flooding so slowing the flow of water upstream could form part of the solution.

Next the beavers dammed the stream in two other places creating two more large ponds; already the local frogs are taking advantage and have laid spawn in places that used to be dry.

The walks can be booked on the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s online shop www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/shop with all the proceeds going back in to running the project with Chris Jones at Woodland Valley Farm.

The walks are in the early evening before dusk and include a walking tour of the site then a chance to sit and wait to try and see the beavers come out as night falls.

Additional child-friendly walks are available during school holidays through Wildlife Watch, the Trust’s junior branch.