The Cornish Seal Sanctuary team is incredibly excited to announce their Secret Creek project which will be taking place in the large woodland area of the Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary is now home to three rescued beaver youngsters - sister pair Barbara and Twiggy, and Norbert, a male. Barbara and Twiggy are settling in at the Secret Creek large enclosure, and you can find Norbert at the Beaver Nursery, where he is learning essential beaver skills before joining the sister pair.

We are planning vital research projects to understand more about beaver behaviour in the wild and how they impact the environment they inhabit. It is known that their presence is beneficial to the natural ecosystems and may even help to combat climate change.

The projects will focus on monitoring water pollution and the impact of damming, increase in biodiversity counts, landscape changes and public perception on beaver rewilding - which in return will generate regular educational content to share with guests visiting the seal sanctuary. We hope to increase activity among the community in conservation efforts, improving our local area and beyond.

Visitor Experience

With your help, we can bring an exciting Beaver Lodge to the Sanctuary, as the research and education hub for the Secret Creek. Beavers are very secretive creatures, mostly active during the night, which makes it difficult for the public to engage with these mammals. The aim of the Secret Creek area at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary is to provide engaging educational content for visitors to learn about these enigmatic animals. Returning guests will see landscape changes happening over time, while there is always the possibility to catch a glimpse of the beaver sisters hard at work!

Find out more at: sealsanctuary.sealifetrust.org/en/about-us/beavers

Research

Our research into the biodiversity changes as a result of the beavers has begun, with the help of Biodiversity Students from Kernow Conservation. They have gathered data on the plant species in the area, and will monitor changes include new plant species as a direct result of the beaver damming and felling behaviours. As the beavers build their dams, the water pools, changes course and develops areas which draw a wide variety of wildlife and plantlife, providing the ideal conditions for them to thrive once more. This research will help us to measure these changes over time both to the landscape itself and the animals who inhabit it.