Beavers Chip and Willow make their home at Mapperton Estate

Owners of a country estate are hopeful that love is in the air for two beavers released there as part of a wildlife project.

Chip and Willow are the latest additions to Mapperton Wildlands in Dorset, replacing Twiggy and Woody who escaped following storms in 2024.

The Eurasian beavers, introduced from different locations, were released into an upgraded enclosure on the estate near Beaminster on 20 December.

Upon arrival, they headed in different directions but were captured together on wildlife cameras for the first time on Christmas Day.

In a Facebook post, the estate said the sighting was a “significant milestone for our beaver project and who knows what may follow… little kits perhaps?”.

Estate owner Luke Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, said he was “delighted” to announce the arrival of Chip and Willow, whose names were suggested by members of the public.

He said: “Woody and Twiggy made their famous escape over a year ago and it’s taken us a while to find a new pair.”

As Chip and Willow did not know each other, he said there was a “risk” they might not get along, initially.

“Chip, the male, went upstream and Willow went in the opposite direction, but early indications are that the his-and-hers straw-bale lodge we’ve built for them has been used,” Lord Sandwich said.

The beavers form part of Mapperton’s rewilding project, which aims to improve biodiversity across 1,000 acres of Dorset countryside.

Chip was brought from Yorkshire and Willow from Scotland, under the guidance and coordination of the Beaver Trust.