A rotund willow tree is missing a ring of bark, cut out like a belt. Tree stumps stand, gnawed to a point. A path has been worn into the grass by the water’s edge.
These features haven’t been seen in the capital since Shakespeare’s time. That was until October 2023 when, four centuries after beavers were hunted to extinction in London, they were reintroduced to the wild. You will not see the beavers. But if you know where to look, the signs are everywhere.
Over the past seven months, this family of history-making mammals have made themselves at home in a woodland next to a trading estate in Greenford, West London.
It was hoped the group – two adults, a juvenile and two children – would increase biodiversity, reduce the risk of flooding and galvanise the community around rewilding efforts. Big Issue returned to the landmark
