‘Shadow caught on camera' ends creature's 500-year-long absence from Portugal

Miami Herald

a day ago

As night settled across Portugal, a small furry creature swam along a river, dragging around branches and leaves. Unbeknownst to it, its appearance was captured by nearby trail cameras — and ended a 500-year-long absence.
'Five centuries gone, and then: gnawed trunks, reshaped water, a shadow caught on camera! The beaver is back in Portugal,' the conservation group Rewilding Europe said in a June 13 Facebook post.
'The last known record of beavers in Portugal probably dates back to the end of the 15th century,' Rewilding Portugal said in a June 12 news release. 'Intensive hunting and habitat destruction' wiped out the country's beavers, and the animal had been considered locally extinct ever since.
But conservationists didn't give up.
For the past 20 years, conservationists in Spain worked to rehabilitate their European beaver populations and eventually noticed beavers living closer and closer to the border with Portugal, the organization said. By 2023, a beaver was seen about 500 feet from the Portuguese border and was expected to eventually cross the border.
Conservationists in Portugal recently saw 'unequivocal signs' of beavers, such as 'gnawing marks' on trees and structures that changed the water flow. In late May, trail cameras filmed a young beaver within the country.
'We've been on the lookout for this breakthrough for a few years now, and now we're thrilled to confirm its return,' Pedro Prata, a conservationist with Rewilding Portugal, said in the release.
Video footage from May 20 to 25 shows a beaver swimming at night and moving sticks around.
Other photos shared by Rewilding Portugal in a June 13 Facebook post show the beaver sitting, holding something and climbing along the river bank.
Conservationists described the beaver sighting as 'one of the most significant steps in the aquatic rewilding of our rivers in Portugal.'
'The beaver is a natural ally in restoring the health of our rivers and wetlands and has a fundamental role to play in our river ecosystems,' Prata said in the release. 'The beaver improves water quality, creates refuges for other species and helps us fight phenomena such as drought and fires.'
'The return of the beaver to Portugal is a symbol of hope and change,' Prata said. 'It shows that if we give nature space and time, it will respond. It's now up to us to ensure that this return is well received and protected.'
Rewilding Portugal said it plans to continue monitoring the beaver and help mitigate any human-animal conflicts that may arise.
Conservationists did not say where in Portugal the beaver was but said they'd previously monitored beavers in Arribes del Duero Natural Park, Spain. The park is near Freixo de Espada à Cinta in northern Portugal and a roughly 275-mile drive northeast from Lisbon.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Rewilding Portugal.