Children living in London are being invited to help name two baby beavers recently born in Ealing, west London. Residents aged between four and 18 can submit their name suggestions for the kits until 7 December.
The winning names will be selected by representatives from the Ealing Beaver Project and the mayor of London's office. The new kits are part of a rewilding initiative that saw a family of Eurasian beavers released at Paradise Fields in 2023, bringing the animals back to urban London for the first time in over 400 years.
Elliot Newton, director of rewilding at Citizen Zoo, stated that the birth of the new kits demonstrates that beavers can "coexist with people in the heart of urban London." The project, run by Citizen Zoo, Ealing Wildlife Group, Friends of Horsenden Hill, and Ealing Council, is funded by the mayor's office.
Backers of the scheme claim the beavers have created new wetland habitats, improved water quality, and enhanced the area's resilience to flooding and drought. Entries for the naming competition can be submitted via Citizen Zoo's website.