The first baby beaver in over 400 years has been born at a nature reserve in Cheshire.
The Cheshire Wildlife Trust said it was “delighted” to announce that a new young beaver – known as a kit – has been spotted at Hatchmere Nature Reserve in Delamere, which confirms that beavers have bred in Cheshire for the first time in over 400 years.
There’s no denying that beavers are a rare sight in the North West – so rare, in fact, that despite the animal being native to the county, there hadn’t actually been any residing in Cheshire before 2020, due to the fact the species became extinct in the 16th century as a result of continuous hunting for their fur and meat.
This is why the release of a pair of the endangered animals into Hatchmere Nature Reserve was such a big deal for the county.
The Eurasian beavers – one male and one female, named Rowan and Willow – were released in Cheshire back in November 2020 to help benefit the local surroundings as part of a five-year land management project that hopes to create natural flood defences.
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It’s also hoped that the beavers would improve biodiversity at the site.
🚨𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬!🚨
We're delighted to announce that a beaver kit has been spotted at Hatchmere Nature Reserve! The sighting confirms that beavers have bred in Cheshire for the first time in over 𝟒𝟎𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬!🦫
— Cheshire Wildlife Trust (@CheshireWT) July 12, 2022
And it certainly sounds like it’s working.
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Since Rowan and Willow’s release into Hatchmere, the Trust says the pair have transformed a key area into a wetland haven with dams and lodges, as beavers’ natural behaviour in creating dams and holding water is encouraging previously-unseen species into the area such as Kingfisher, stoats, and a whole host of waterfowl.
“The future of Hatchmere nature reserve is looking very positive since we released Rowan and Willow into back in 2020,” explains Kevin Feeney – Reserves Manager for Hatchmere.
“The dams and wetlands they have created are helping us to reach our project aims to improve water quality within the catchment and help reverse the decline in Cheshire’s Wildlife.”
Kevin also said the public’s support is “inspiring”, adding that: “The arrival of the first beaver kit to be born in Cheshire for over 400 years is a real milestone that couldn’t have been achieved without our supporters.”
The Cheshire Wildlife Trust project is one of 25 beaver reintroductions in England, with other sites being in the South West, Kent, Gloucestershire, East Anglia, and Yorkshire.
Nathan Aspinall clinches fourth European title despite ‘homesick’ confession
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester-born and raised darts player Nathan Aspinall clinched another European trophy over the bank holiday weekend, despite a very honest and vulnerable admission about the pressures of the professional circuit.
The Stockport darting star managed an 8-5 victory over Dutchman Danny Noppert in the final of the German Darts Grand Prix, making it his fourth PDC Euro title.
Having claimed a trio of them in 2025, Aspinall‘s prolific presence on the continent only continues to grow, but truth be told, it’s far from his favourite part of the lifestyle.
Speaking ahead of the final – and following multiple delays in transit – he said: “I don’t want to travel — I just want to be at home with my family at the moment.”
ASPINALL WINS THE TITLE IN MUNICH 🐍
What a finish to win the final 🔥
Nathan Aspinall takes out a classy 128 checkout to claim the Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Grand Prix with an 8-5 triumph over Danny Noppert 🙌#ET4pic.twitter.com/v4xHljyr46
Prior to the match against the world no. 11, ‘The Asp’ confessed to DartsNews that he feels “very flat” at present, adding, “I’m not enjoying playing darts at the moment.”
After also wrestling with passport queues and airports misplacing luggage before he could even make it to the tournament in Germany in the first place, it’s been far from a smooth EU Tour for him so far
The 34-year-old and his wife, Kirsty, have two children, Brooke and Milly Mai, with Aspinall writing on an Instagram story: “should have spent Easter with the kids.”
Nevertheless, the local lad mustered up the motivation – noting that the on-stage buzz definitely helps – to make his way into the final and finish with a not-too-shabby 128 checkout.
Having been “working on things in the background” and even walking out to his new entrance song (‘Lose Yourself by Eminem), we’re hoping he’ll soon be fully snapped out of his funk and back to enjoying the sport.
Thankfully, it seems like the result has definitely helped go some way towards that, with his reaction in the post-match pressers suggesting an upturn in both confidence and mood.
Speaking after the win, he went on to add: “I’m trying to find that love for the game again and Munich, you’ve given] me the love again. I enjoyed my darts today!”
Featured Images — Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
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One of the world’s tiniest antelopes has been born at Chester Zoo and it’s no bigger than a tin of beans
Emily Sergeant
One of the world’s tiniest antelopes has been born at Chester Zoo, and she’s barely taller than a tin of baked beans.
The little Kirk’s dik-dik fawn – who zookeepers have decided to name Dotty – was born weighing just a few hundred grams, and even when she’s fully grown, she won’t be a great deal bigger either, as it’s predicted she’ll reach just 40cm tall, making her one of the smallest antelopes on the planet.
Dotty was born back in mid-February, and she has now begun taking her first steps.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Kirk’s dik-dik, it’s a species often found in the scrublands and mountainous regions of Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia in Africa.
They take their name from the sharp, high-pitched ‘dik-dik’ alarm call they make when startled and as they dart for cover.
These adorable little creatures use their elongated, flexible noses to pluck leaves directly from branches – a unique feature found only in dik-diks – and they mark their territory using scent glands beneath their eyes and between their toes.
In what carers at Chester Zoo are describing as a ‘heartwarming twist’, little Dotty is actually being raised with the help of a surrogate father.
This is because Dotty’s biological dad passed away of old age shortly before her birth, and now a new male dik-dik named Dan – who arrived from a zoo in Cumbria in February – has gently stepped into the role alongside mum Chrissy.
This is Dotty the dik-dik – one of the world’s tiniest antelopes / Credit: Chester Zoo
“Dik-diks are naturally very shy animals, so for the first couple of weeks Chrissy’s tiny fawn has been tucked away in a quiet, cosy den, with mum popping back to feed and check on her,” explained Megan Carpenter, who is the Assistant Team Manager of Small Mammals at Chester Zoo.
“Now though, she’s beginning to find her feet and we’re seeing those lovely first steps as she heads out on her first little outdoor adventures.
“In a lovely addition to the story, we’ve also welcomed a new male dik-dik, Dan, as part of the European conservation breeding programme.
Emily Sergeant -
13th July 2022 
