Baby Beaver at WWT Martin Mere

17th August 2009

From Monday 17 August, WWT Martin Mere will become one of the only places in the UK where visitors can get up close to a beaver, when our baby beaver, Wizzy, goes into his new exercise enclosure for a couple of hours each day.

Wizzy was found injured in the main beaver enclosure at Martin Mere just over a year ago and, despite little information available on beaver veterinary care, was successfully nursed back to health by Martin Mere wardens, the first time this has been attempted in the UK.

Wizzy will never be able to return to the main beaver enclosure but has his own lodge in the treatment area. This has now been extended as he has grown to include an exercise yard for him where he can run around, eat food, bite on bark and play with cuddly toy beavers that keep him company. Visitors to Martin mere will be able to see Wizzy in this exercise enclosure between 2pm and 4pm everyday from 17 August. Centre Manager, Andy Wooldridge, said: “It is amazing to think of what our grounds team has accomplished over the last year nursing Wizzy back to health. He has loads of character and loves to have human contact; I think he will enjoy seeing our visitors as much as they will enjoy seeing him”.

WWT originally released four beavers into an enclosure at Martin Mere in July 2007 and they became the stars of BBC Autumnwatch in November 2007. The beavers have made considerable changes to their enclosure over the years but their nocturnal habits have ensured that few visitors have actually been able to see a beaver until now with Wizzy.

The Centre has now installed two cameras into the enclosure and it is believed that the adults, Twiggy and Woody, have an additional three kitts this year. Log on to www.wwt.org.uk/beavers to watch the nightly antics of the beavers from 17 August. 
 

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