Latest news with #CornwallWildlifeTrust
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
‘Noises on camera trap' reveal first-of-their-kind babies at UK reserve. Listen
As darkness settled over a nature reserve in the United Kingdom, a baby mammal began to fuss and whine to its parent. Unbeknownst to the family, a nearby trail camera captured their interaction. It turned out to be a 'major milestone' for conservationists. Laura Snell, a conservation officer at the Helman Tor Nature Reserve, was helping with routine monitoring efforts when some 'noises on camera trap footage' caught her attention, Cornwall Wildlife Trust said in a July 23 news release. Immediately, she suspected the sounds came from baby beavers. 'At first we weren't certain,' Snell said in the release. 'But recent footage clearly shows a small kit appearing in the corner of the frame.' A video shared on YouTube on July 22 by Cornwall Wildlife Trust shows a beaver moving around at night. Small whining sounds, almost like the fussing of a human baby, can be heard. In a second clip, a baby beaver is briefly visible in the lower right-hand corner, partially obscured by the plants. The larger beaver seems to be taking care of it. The baby beavers are 'the first confirmed wild kits at the site,' which is home to a beaver reintroduction project. Beavers were once widespread throughout the U.K. but 'were hunted to extinction in the 16th century for their fur, meat, and the oil in their scent glands, which was used in medicine and even perfumes,' Cornwall Wildlife Trust said. In hopes of undoing this local extinction, conservation groups have begun rewilding projects. Now, 'beavers are being re-introduced into different parts of Great Britain after an absence of about 400 years,' the organization said. At Helman Tor Nature Reserve, wild beavers 'mysteriously appeared' in 2024 in 'an illegal release' later dubbed a 'beaver bombing,' officials said. The newfound kits are the offspring of these beavers. 'While we don't condone the way beavers arrived at Helman Tor in 2024, it's hard not to celebrate the birth of kits,' Cheryl Marriott, a director at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said in the release. 'It's a great sign that the beavers are thriving and the habitat they've created is healthy enough to support the next generation, but it's also just the beginning,' the organization wrote in a July 23 Facebook post. 'The Trust continues to monitor the beavers at Helman Tor as part of its Wild Beaver Project, which supports the responsible return and recovery of beavers' throughout the surrounding Cornwall region, the organization said. Helman Tor Nature Reserve is in the southwestern United Kingdom and a roughly 240-mile drive west from London.
BBC News
24-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cornish nature reserve welcomes first beaver babies
A nature reserve in Cornwall has welcomed its first beaver babies, or Wildlife Trust (CWT) confirmed the presence of the kits at Helman Tor, near Bodmin, using footage from camera kits are the offspring of parents that appeared from a "beaver bombing", an illegal release which took place in early 2024. Cheryl Marriott, from CWT, said: "While we don't condone the way beavers arrived at Helman Tor, it's hard not to celebrate the birth of kits." She said the beavers were "already transforming the landscape in remarkable ways, and this is just the beginning". The births come soon after beaver kits were also born at Lost Gardens of Heligan trust said beavers, were a "vital ally in the face of climate change" because of their dam building, which creates drought-resistant said the births were "a hopeful sign for the future of wild beavers in Cornwall" which highlighted "the impact the animals are already having at Helman Tor nature reserve".The trust said it would "continue to monitor the beavers as part of its Wild Beaver Project", which aims to reintroduce beavers around the Par and Fowey rivers.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dead beaver found on Cornish beach
A dead beaver has been found on a Cornish beach. The Polzeath Beach Ranger Service said it was alerted to the animal at about 08:00 BST on Sunday by a member of the public. Beach ranger Andy Stewart said the beaver was about 2.5ft (76cm) long and had no visible injuries. He added the animal had been collected by Cornwall Wildlife Trust for a post-mortem examination. More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Mr Stewart said: "We wouldn't normally section a part of the beach off unless it was particularly big or disruptive to whatever was going on. "Even though people look at strandings with concern, it's also really educational, the cycle of life and marine habitats. "So we would normally leave a stranding area open but with this one, because it was so rare, I took a big bag down, put it in the bag and brought it up to the office as quickly as I could." Mr Stewart added the condition of the beaver made it "absolutely perfect for a post-mortem". "Firstly we called Cornwall Wildlife Trust because the Marine Strandings Network would usually come out for marine wildlife - that would be seal, dolphins, porpoises, whales," he said. "The beaver doesn't really fall into their remit. However, they are very interested in this. "My assumption is that it was floating in the water when rigor mortis set in and that's why its head is high and it looks so alive and alert, but I'm no expert." Polzeath Beach Rangers reminded the public and their pets to stay away from any marine strandings, alive or dead. "Sometimes it's better to leave things alone and either let nature take its course or let the experts get involved," it added. Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ More on this story 'Nature is on its knees and beavers can help' Iberian orca seen for first time in Cornish waters Related internet links Cornwall Wildlife Trust Polzeath Beach Ranger Service
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Sea creatures make ‘extremely rare' appearance off England. See ‘magical' photos
A pair of orcas recently made waves when they were spotted in an unusual location off the United Kingdom. The apex predators were seen off the Isles of Scilly — an archipelago southwest of Cornwall, England — in early July. Images taken by wildlife photographer Isaac Ogden show the creatures breaching the surface near the rocky coastline. 'Killer whales, killer views,' Ogden wrote in a July 10 Instagram post, which garnered hundreds of likes. He also noted the rarity of the encounter. 'Orcas have been seen a couple of times in recent years off mainland Cornwall but not off the Isles within the last 25 years or so,' Ogden told McClatchy News. The Kernow Weather Team, a local weather organization, described the sighting as 'extremely rare' and 'magical.' 'These intelligent, powerful creatures are truly a sight to behold and a reminder of how wild and wonderful our Cornish seas really are,' the organization said in a Facebook post. One of the animals was identified as Freyja, or C-002, an Iberian orca belonging to the Vega pod. Freyja is believed to be the first Iberian killer whale to have been seen in the waters off Cornwall, according to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. 'She is a female and she is always seen with this other one, although we need to get further identification on the second whale, we think she may be C001,' Dolphin Zones' Sarah Matthews, told the BBC. 'They are quite an elusive pair that appears to pop up randomly in different places,' she said, noting the pair may be the last surviving members of their ecotype. Orcas are found throughout all of the world's oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Globally, there are an estimated 50,000 individuals belonging to various distinct populations. The creatures face threats from vessel strikes, entanglements in fishing gear and food shortages.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Orcas from Iberia seen for first time off Cornwall
Wildlife experts have confirmed the first ever sighting of orcas from Iberia in Cornish two orcas were seen by Joe Pender as he conducted a seabird survey near St Agnes, the Isles of Scilly on Wednesday Allen of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said it was the first time members of the pod which inhabits the Straits of Gibraltar in winter had been recorded off Cornwall and the Isles of said although the sightings were "exhilarating" it meant "unusual things are happening" as food distributions changed. Joe Pender was the skipper aboard the Scilly Pelagics seabird survey who saw the orcas, which are the largest members of the dolphin told the BBC he had spotted some fins about a mile away near Bishop Rock and as he drew nearer he had realised they did not belong to common dolphins as they were "far too big"."As we got closer, we realised they were two orcas together," he Pender said everyone on the boat had been "ecstatic" as they spent about half an hour observing the said: "I've seen an orca very distantly some 25 years ago and that's the only one I've ever seen."They're really rare, it's one thing we really didn't expect to see here."He said it was possible the pair had been in the area for a few days and a fisherman thought he had seen the pair earlier in the Pender added: "There's been a few seals coming up in the nets having been eaten, it's possible they [the orcas] may be the culprits." Ms Allen said the Environmental Records Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly had recorded "so many changes in the type of species we see".She said: "We're seeing more tuna, common dolphin, humpback whales and there's been a big boom in the octopus population."This year seems to have been a notable year for lots of different species and it really feels there's been a change that's driving this."We don't understand what this might be but it's probably linked to warming seas and pushing populations of species further north.""As much as it's really exciting, it's a little bit of a concern," she Pender agreed: "We're seeing a lot more humpbacks, fin whale and blue fin tuna - everything's on the move."
