Beavers were extinct in Britain for 400 years. Reintroduction programs have demonstrated their extraordinary capacity to restore wetland ecosystems — and raise interesting individual welfare questions.
Reintroduced beavers thrive when release sites have suitable habitat and food. Welfare monitoring is important — animals that fail to establish territories can lose condition. Beavers occasionally cause flooding of farmland, leading to licensed removal or culling. Finding management solutions that protect both wetland benefits and individual beaver welfare is ongoing.