Beaver away: are England’s beavers helping or harming?

Just under 60 miles from Leeds, in a forest in North Yorkshire, the reintroduction of beavers has been hailed by ecologists.
They say it's not only boosted wildlife, but also reduced the risk of flooding, which has previously cost local communities millions of pounds.
Forestry England want to expand such projects. Farmers are less eager. But there's one thing they all agree on: the government must now decide what the future is for beavers in England.
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[@LeaveCurious]

The UK needs wild beavers throughout its water courses! Yes, not all areas will be suitable, but there will always be another area that would benefit from having beavers 🦫

[@Rissen_]

Youre the reason I knew about the bisons being introduced in blean AND I LIVE IN CANTERBURY! And then also the beavers and red kites and water voles etc etc It Inspired me and woke me up to how much of our wildlife has dwindled. You set up a chain of thoughts that has led me down a path of immence love for our nature and rewilding, you put me onto mossy earth aswell so I cant thank you enough, I really am grateful that you translated your passion into videos that then project that passion onto others, its rly contagious keep it up! I made a wildlife pond and making my garden wild, made a lil hibernaculum aswell with rotting old logs and a massive pile of dead twigs, just trying anything i can in my area, also waiting on these lovely purple poppies to go into seed so I can spread them around my garden and other grassy banks or spaces around my local area.

[@TSINIproductions]

It probably helps the other species by having the people fenced out too.

[@Yogoniogi]

YH WILD ANIMALS LOVE FENCES

[@vivalaleta]

​Many other species are trapped within the fence lines also. ​@@Yogoniogi

[@Veritequiparles]

The closing line... "The importance of having the right beaver in the right place"... like that's never going to make it onto a news blooper somewhere 😂

[@0AndrewBolt0]

Waited his whole career to be able to say that on camera... :

[@Choc-Ice]

You said it! Beavers are one of many of natures civil engineers

[@JamesWilliams-di2kz]

Hello 👋 how are you doing

[@Martyre20]

Protect them like swans. We need all the forests we can!

[@Veritequiparles]

Beavers are the most powerful tool for rewilding... They do it for free. They create and manage wetlands which increase biodiversity but also manage the hydrology of the area, refill aquifers, slow floods, and so much else besides. Protect them and let them free to do what they do.

[@rogersmith8339]

You forgot the bit about destroying farm land and trees and when their dams give way (and they do) the flooding is bad. There is no problem with a small and controlled population in the right place, but in some places they are totally not appropriate. The numbers need to be controlled and could be a source of healthy meat and the fur could be made use of once again (totally renewable and biodegradable with little processing required). The dams could even provide small scale hydro-electric power.

[@Veritequiparles]

Better tree species management downstream can reduce that impact -Alders are good for this. Again, Sensible planning of where they should be and the surrounding area land use will prevent any unwanted damage.

[@tooxtalivai0690]

@@rogersmith8339well they can’t do any worse than fucken humans we’ve wrecked the environments we live in why convenience and I live in clean and green New Zealand where it ain’t that clean and green. Just a slogan for tourist.

[@missourimongoose8858]

I've never been to England but if yall got any man made ponds that are above your farmland like alot of folks do here beavers will try and take out the berms to flood the fields, they got at least 10ft into ours last year before we trapped them

[@Veritequiparles]

@@missourimongoose8858 If this is a persistent problem, maybe the ponds are in the wrong location. I can;t say, but there is a big difference in the you guys have natural beavers, we're only now bringing them back, they have yet to find their balance. Your beavers have been living there since before the colonial times, they know what works with the land, you could learn from them maybe. If not, they make good eating.

[@MaxVliet]

"the importance of having the right beaver in the right place" 😂

[@moochythecat3435]

We don't have a problem with too many beavers... we have a problem with too many people...

[@BTihamer100]

"Vegetarian civil engineers" that was cute😀

[@zakneutron]

I, for one, welcome our new Beaver Overlords.

[@johnkilgallon207]

A more ecologically aware commentator would have pointed out that beavers, like most other animals that occupy "niche" spaces in the landscape tend to turn up where they are needed, and add value anyway. Although, ironically, the farmer interviewed, states that his farm is in an area prone to flooding, which is managed by a range of canals and dams. Doh!

[@deinsilverdrac8695]

Thats like saying I don't want firefighter they spread fire This region is prone to fire but it's mannaged with the oil usine right next the giant flamethrower. How dumb do a farmer have to be to think that dams and canal are the solution to flooding when it's the literral cause of those event

[@patrickwilliamson29]

​@@deinsilverdrac8695farmers in the UK are not brightest of folk and are old so don't do well with sustainable ideas

[@deinsilverdrac8695]

@@patrickwilliamson29 A dangerous and idiotic combination of Nostalgia for the "good" olds ways. And of Why being sustainable for generations to come when you only have 20 years to live anyway, who Cares about nature, wildlife or other human being anyway ?

[@TC-dy4zr]

It baffles me how people are against this. People can be so blinded by their lack of knowledge, understanding and arrogance.

[@tjmarx]

What is so baffling? Where another species is against their interests they will be against it's introduction. It's hardly a difficult concept to grasp.

[@crayontom9687]

Ironically, farmers and those who live in the countryside don’t like wildlife

[@tjmarx]

@@crayontom9687 I'm not sure what is ironic about agribusiness disliking things which go against their business interests...

[@wilfredsterling2124]

Well, these highly sensitive conditioned idiots need state intervention to understand that the subsidies they earn can be put to much better use. For everyone's good. Their clouded overly emotional violent minds need help to emerge from their little mindsets. Then they might see that there are other much more meaningful business interests that they can be part of. Mind you if they were to see my reply to your response they'd probably go into a tantrum and start firing their rifles at anything they can see in the trees. And the poor bastards probably voted for Brexit as they see trade deals take away their business.

[@OwOudoge]

@@tjmarx Beavers are not competing with your interests

[@leedza]

Unfortunately, we've developed a whole country in their absence and in some places there will be conflict. The real art will be managing where they decide to call home once we get free roaming populations. However, im all for the idea. The drought and flood cycles need something to help and beavers do the work for no pay.

[@johnathanmagliari8461]

I know that British English is hard, so allow me to translate for you. That farmer said "We need beavers, but on someone else's farm : not mine."

[@ceefar10]

Awww this is wholesome af

[@thereforeayam]

Beavers are also really smart & could even be lightly instructed (herded or trained, in a sense). Look up "beaver steals tree from enclosure"...they are also known to build dams with stolen or lost bags of money😅

[@aguynamedscott11]

It would be nice to see beavers evolve into hyper intelligent super beings that challenged humanity’s position as the dominant species on Earth.

[@snowysnowyriver]

It would be wonderful! They are sociable, gentle, industrious and totally committed to their family and community. They work together to get the job done without fuss or muss. The only time they get rough is if something comes too close to their youngsters. Then the gloves are off, and they fight to the death to protect their little ones.

[@SevCaswell]

Check out Timberborn, a video game based on that idea!

[@jimmyrichardson67]

A spider is not an insect, it’s an Arachnid

[@gloriaaddae]

Give them credits as they deserved it❤

[@nilanjanachatterjee9023]

Excellent video 😊

[@zaptor1514]

Key word:”Bonkers” with that word politicians will move forward and have beavers 🦫 everywhere. Then pay to repair damages. A make work opportunity indeed.

[@danielcharlesfilms2897]

"That's optimum beaver depth" 😂😂😂😂

[@jkrycz]

They are helping.

[@SamOween]

Beavers are awesome

[@leepakim]

civil engineers...so cute

[@hillockfarm8404]

From across the channel, certain places helpfull others a nightmare and it is not the only species with such limitations. We had badgersets in the railway dykes undermining them. Humans also make things new wildlife is very happy with but very much unsuitable for.

[@elyzsabethahne2116]

The "insect" shown when "insects" is stated is actually not an insect at all. Spiders are arachnids--more closely related to crabs than to flies, for example.

[@bryantimmins339]

Bring me some…I have a small river in Northamptonshire we want some beavers

[@Gruffelgangster]

2:25 "... and insects." They show a spider

[@edgarsanchez7180]

Spiders are no insects. They are arachnids. Just clarifying the shot of an spider and the word insects together in 2:25, which is misleading.

[@yasmindapit3596]

Please protect the beavers🙏

[@comeonman3938]

Damn.

[@geofftheriddler]

Well done Krishnan - think you got away with that one

[@victoriasalter1701]

Protect, save, rescue and help all the animals when needed. Plant billions of native trees, plants and flowers, especially endangered species, help bat populations flourish and attract more bats and other wildlife, educate the public and farmers, restore as much wild habitat as possible, ensure that the farmed animals are as well protected from predators as possible, reintroduce the lynx, educate people about wolves and lynx and how to live with them, and then finally… Reintroduce the wolves!!!

[@thomaslangley1571]

They quite clearly will help our environment. Set them free in the right places.

[@bionic4368]

Nonsense!

[@deinsilverdrac8695]

​@@bionic4368 No it's the fucking truth. - wetland restoration -more Fishes, - CO2 capture, - free clean water - prevent drought -mitigate floods

[@nickyboy22071989]

Why'd you ruin that by putting Guru at the end?

[@stephenwalker2924]

I eagerly clicked on a video promising the viewer: wild beaver antics. Boy, was I disappointed...

[@tclanjtopsom4846]

If all the beavers get Brazilians they will become extinct as we know them today, the hairless beaver is fast becoming dominant.

[@Louisejames23]

The issue is that the intelligence of Beavers far outweighs that of most humans… 🤔😉😬. Fantastic super smart creatures 🦫🦫

[@yellowboot6629]

❣️🤗

[@Nyctophora]

The right beaver in the right place.

[@glynluff2595]

Yes but who owns the land and what is the effect on adjoining land and river meadows. Do those owner have any rights if their lands are flooded to their disadvantage. This is the problem but there seems to be a disparity with rewilding in removing a created nuisance. It will eventually result in legal action unless agreed procedures are decided now. This affects all rewilding for many such actions are contemplated in areas that have similarities to their current situation for several generations. This country has 68 million people to feed and the building of most of the houses affected by flooding has been since WWII and the desire of so many in urban areas to have paved parking spaces.

[@alanadams-ni7uk]

If they save towns from flooding then get them in !

[@swagmanandy]

We've gotten on just fine without them and whats the benefit of SLOWING flood water? You want it removed as fast as possible NOT retained.

[@curranhouse]

Seen a lot of beavers, the biggest issue is keeping them wet and not too smelly..

[@SenorTucano]

Please tell me one of them is called Justin 🙏

[@bionic4368]

A short one hopefully.

[@mmps18]

Britain needs beavers! Protect them like the swans!

[@karoma7898]

I love beavers... all types.

[@MikeSomers150470]

Beavers fit better or is it we’ve stepped into areas we should not be

[@hartleyhare99]

Eager Beaver🙂🤩

[@mpf5381]

spiders are not insects

[@Noidonteatbabiesstopasking]

Beavers are cute

[@3dagedesign]

what is their natural predator in the uk.?

[@Hindsighht]

A landowner with a gun.

[@warden1969]

Although beavers haven’t lived in Britain for around 400yrs, I’d imagine that the fox would find them tasty.

[@adoatero5129]

@@warden1969 I'd imagine a beaver could be a though opponent for a fox.

[@warden1969]

@@adoatero5129 oh I agree, it probably wouldn’t be an easy meal, maybe wolves will be reintroduced aswell to help control the beaver population 😄

[@dazzwsmith]

I'm thinking only a harry hill sketch will sort this out...

[@cdean2789]

I'm eager for it.

[@jamesl2846]

Next they join the cubs and then the boy scouts 👍

[@uggali]

Sure it’s not the people in the wrong place?😃

[@thomasanders1314]

Slowly but surely.:)) We have to remember, that it's their home and they can do what they want.:) Plus rising of water levels can be very usefull these days. (It's already a drinking water crisis)

[@thomHD]

What does the fox say?

[@brendatenorio5721]

Humans!

[@MrMountainchris]

These islands have been stripped of a once beautiful and intricate ecosystem, let the beavers do what they do and fix it... nature just needs to be left alone to heal.

[@NeilEvans-xq8ik]

Nice beaver!

[@deccyboi4218]

BRING BACK BEAVERS ALL OVER THE UK!

[@TBrl8]

I love beavers.

[@brettmeikle]

Oi! Behave

[@troygarza5720]

I honestly feel like beavers are the animals God put on this earth to maintain it no matter what beavers can literally turn a desert in to green grassland and woodlands

[@0101wTV]

3:27 They did the work for us, cheers mate. See introducting native species fixed issues that we don't need to pay tax payers money on.

[@snorfallupagus6014]

Frau Farbissina: RELEASE THE BEAVERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CanadianBear47]

Bra let the beavers be free

[@scottredding7357]

Sounds like a political party’s general election slogan - The right beavers in the right places. Beavers winning here. Beaver’s aren’t working. New Beavers for New Britain.

[@normanchristie4524]

Where education is needed is getting the public perception of neat Victorian parks in cities and getting the farming population to accept invasion. 😂These animals belong here.

[@mrmustangman]

🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫

[@mpf5381]

...vegetarian civil engineers...

[@00fin]

🥱feckin beavers

[@warden1969]

It does seem odd to me that as soon as ecologists jump up and down screaming that the country needs more trees, they appear to be delighted that an animal is reintroduced which fells trees 🤔

[@OwOudoge]

Did you watch the video or just decide to have a whine? The trees are still alive and can regrow. They literally showed you that.

[@warden1969]

@@OwOudoge who’s whining…?? It was merely a thought.

[@warden1969]

@@OwOudoge how many trees have you seen regrow after they’ve been chopped down…??

[@OwOudoge]

@@warden1969 A thought that was answered in the video. The fact you decided to post that "thought" without watching it and reply to me suggesting trees can't regrow when they've been cut down suggests to me you're whining

[@warden1969]

@@OwOudoge just because the tree hasn’t died and will produce spindly off-shoots, doesn’t mean that it will regrow into a tree.

[@dave_724]

Rodents exsactly that what happens when we have issues with rivers being dammed because of beavers there just a water badger

[@deinsilverdrac8695]

Nope thats the opposite. Beaver are good for river health, prevent flood and drought. While dams and canal or just destroying River Banks with concrete. IS the issue who cause drought, pollution and floods. As well as killing the entire ecosystem. Badger regulate lot of pest species and create shelter for bats, foxes and other animals who do the same and actually save lot of money, prevent crop dammage and epidemia. Yeah badger are not pest or destructive and super usefull.

[@Kingsaxxy3872]

⁠@@deinsilverdrac8695 finally someone who knows his stuff. I wholeheartedly agree with you mate and it’s pretty sad Badgers get a bad rep because of they’re aggression when they are so beneficial to our wildlife.

[@reallymakesyouthink]

Send them to Ukraine

[@deinsilverdrac8695]

They already recolonise Ukraine as well as all of Europe Recreating wetland and helping countless of species and lifes.

[@smurffd3142]

They were hunted for a reason

[@crayontom9687]

Because humans need to have total control over the natural world?

[@vivh18]

For hats

[@simontemplar404]

Who cares. How do you cook them?

[@KneelBeforeZod.]

I love beaver. I mean, I love beavers 🦫.

[@benmacdui9328]

Nice beaver

[@MaramaoMaramao]

Go beavs!

[@ShabumkinSpleen]

The right Beavers in the right places! Joyful words! 😁 Release the Beaver!