Beavers have been returned to west London for the first time in 400 years, Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced.
The mayor yesterday joined Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, Ealing Council, Friends of Horsenden Hill and Groundwork London to release a family of five beavers into the wild at Paradise Fields in Ealing.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in England around 400 years ago but are now being reintroduced across the country, including last year in Enfield.
The project is supported by the mayor’s Rewild London Fund and Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund.
Mr Khan said: ‘I am delighted to welcome back beavers to West London for the first time in 400 years, with the support of my Rewild London Fund.
‘We are facing climate and ecological emergencies worldwide, but we have the power to make a difference, and I am committed to ensuring that London is at the forefront of reversing the trends of declining biodiversity and the destruction of nature.’
Actor and WWF Ambassador Miranda Richardson said: ‘Who knew this was happening in West London? I am thrilled to have had a close encounter with beavers today - nature's extraordinary environmental engineers - in a setting so close to my home in central London.
‘And I am excited to learn more about this project, which furthers our understanding of how we can live together with nature.’
