Children asked to name Ealing's new beavers

An adult beaver lies at the water's edge with a small kit nestled against it, both with wet fur flecked with green duckweed.

Image source, Abhilesh DhawanjewarImage caption,

A young kit settles beside an adult at the Ealing site

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Children in London are being asked to help name two baby beavers born this year in Ealing, west London.

Anyone living in the capital aged between four and 18 can suggest names for the kits until 7 December.

The winners will be chosen by representatives of the Ealing Beaver Project and the mayor of London's office.

A family of Eurasian beavers was released at Paradise Fields in 2023, returning the animals to urban London for the first time in more than 400 years.

A beaver sits at the edge of a brook surrounded by green vegetation, holding a stem in its front paws

Image source, Ant RubinsteinImage caption,

A beaver feeds at the water's edge at Paradise Fields

Elliot Newton, director of rewilding at conservation group Citizen Zoo, said the new kits showed beavers could "coexist with people in the heart of urban London".

The project's lead, Dr Sean McCormack, said: "Personally, I'm very excited to see what names the children come up with."

The scheme is run by Citizen Zoo, Ealing Wildlife Group, Friends of Horsenden Hill and Ealing Council, with funding from the mayor's office.

Its backers say the beavers have created new wetland habitats on the site, improved water quality and made the area more resilient to flooding and drought.

Paradise Fields is free to visit and open 24 hours a day.

Entries can be submitted through Citizen Zoo's website.

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