In Part II of our Green Healing in Ealing series, we join a community-led exploration of Paradise Fields, tracing the path of London’s returning beavers.
Let’s be honest — beavers in London have been making headlines lately. From TV features to a cheeky mention during People’s Question Time with Sadiq Khan (yes, the Enfield beavers dubbed Justin Beaver and Sigourney Beaver), these charismatic rodents have become unexpected ambassadors of the capital’s rewilding efforts.
They’re more than just a media moment. The beavers at Paradise Fields in Ealing are now a living symbol of Greater London’s growing ambition to bring nature back into the city — and proof of what’s possible when communities, councils, and conservationists work together. The Ealing Beaver Project is a collaborative effort led by the Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, Ealing Council, and the Friends of Horsenden Hill, with support from the Greater London Authority, the Beaver Trust, and the London Beaver Working Group — a pan-London network driving the return of beavers across the city.
These efforts led to the reintroduction of a beaver family into Paradise Fields in 2023, turning this patch of West London into a surprising new wildlife hotspot.
As the founder of The Green Londoner, a platform dedicated to climate action and urban nature, I’d been meaning to visit for some time. So when the team at Regen City invited me to join a guided walk with Citizen Zoo, I jumped at the opportunity.
First Impressions
We met on the afternoon of Wednesday 23 April near Greenford tube station. The weather was grey, damp, and distinctly British. The short walk to the meeting point took us past warehouses, busy roads, an industrial estate, and even a nearby McDonald’s — hardly the setting you’d expect for a flourishing wetland habitat.
But things changed quickly. The entrance to Paradise Fields — a small gate at the mouth of a tunnel lined with colourful animal street art — gave off a slightly Jurassic Park vibe (minus the dinosaurs) but signalled we were stepping into something special.
And it really was. Almost immediately, the contrast hit us. The traffic noise faded — not completely, but enough — and was replaced by birdsong, flowing water, and rustling greenery. The sun began to shine, and this hidden corner of nature, sandwiched between roads, commercial blocks, and housing estates, revealed itself as a pocket of biodiversity in the most unexpected place.
The Power of a Good Guide
Our guide for the evening was Elliot Newton, conservationist and Director of Rewilding at Citizen Zoo, a UK-based rewilding organisation working to restore nature and reintroduce species. For the next two and a half hours, he held our group’s attention effortlessly — no small feat in an age of constant distraction.
Elliot didn’t just talk about beavers — he painted a much bigger picture. He explained the historical context of beavers in the UK, their dramatic decline, and the growing movement to bring them back. He showed how their presence boosts entire ecosystems: improving water quality, creating wetlands that support countless species, and helping reduce flood risk — especially around Greenford, where flooding is becoming increasingly common due to climate change.
But what made his talk really memorable was how grounded it felt. He spoke not just as a conservationist, but as someone deeply passionate about urban rewilding, community involvement, and making space for wildlife in cities.
Paradise Fields: A Hidden Gem
Paradise Fields, part of the Horsenden Hill Nature Reserve, is truly unique. Once a flood-prone area, it was originally used as a flood alleviation scheme by the council in the early 2000s. It was later chosen as a suitable site for reintroducing beavers — not only because of its wetland potential, but also because it could be safely fenced off (UK regulations in 2023 required beavers to be released into enclosed areas).
It’s now home to a beaver family quietly transforming the landscape under the watchful eye of Ealing’s park rangers.
The area is bounded by Greenford Road to the east, a business park to the south, and the Grand Union Canal to the north and west. You’d never guess what’s hidden in this wedge of urban land — and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. Nature is not only surviving here — it’s thriving. The site is open 24/7 and attracts a wonderfully diverse crowd: people passing through, joggers, photographers, local workers, and curious visitors.
Elliot told us that anti-social behaviour in the area has dropped dramatically since the reintroduction — a testament to what we might call the beaver effect.
Meet the Beavers
The stars of the show are, of course, the beavers themselves. The parents have been affectionately named Big Mama and Toy Boy (you can probably guess why), while Willow and Woody offer more family-friendly names for younger visitors.
Together with their growing kits, they form a thriving family of seven. They belong to the Eurasian beaver species (Castor fiber) — not to be confused with the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) roaming across the Atlantic (no link to current political affairs, thankfully).
These animals are a marvel of adaptation and evolution — beavers, in some form, have been around for over 50 million years. Today, only two species remain. Nocturnal by nature, they’re constantly at work when awake: shaping ecosystems, building dams, and creating habitats where biodiversity can flourish. They’re thriving not just in Ealing, but also in cities like Berlin and Munich, with over 600 beavers in each. Vancouver and other places in Canada have welcomed them too.
So what exactly do beavers do?
They engineer ecosystems. They slow down water flows, create wetlands, and increase natural flood resilience — all while building comfortable, sheltered lodges for themselves. (They don’t face many predators in the UK — though otters might be a threat to kits.) Their handiwork benefits amphibians, dragonflies, waterfowl, bats, and more. In short, they’re engineers, landscapers, and hydrologists — all rolled into one furry, flat-tailed package. Not bad, considering we humans often struggle to do just one of those well.
What’s fascinating is that it’s a blend of innate instinct and learned skill — the young watch the adults and learn, even how to roll massive logs weighing hundreds of kilos.
Their reintroduction — after centuries of absence due to hunting (for their pelts and castoreum, a glandular oil with a vanilla-like aroma prized by Romans) — marks more than a conservation milestone. It’s a chance to repair damaged ecosystems and rethink our relationship with urban nature.
Elliot and the Citizen Zoo team don’t plan to stop here. They’re looking to reintroduce beavers wherever feasible — and they’re not stopping at beavers. Storks and other species are also on their list.
Expectations vs. Reality
Elliot set expectations early: “I haven’t seen them yet this year, but there’s a good chance tonight.” That helped us stay realistic — and many of us would’ve been content just spotting a moorhen or soaking up the atmosphere.
But we got lucky.
About 20 minutes into watching from a water-side platform, a ripple appeared on the surface, followed by the unmistakable shape of a beaver’s head — eyes and nose above water, gliding silently. Cameras quietly emerged. Some just stood still, taking it in.
Soon, two more beavers emerged, busy with their evening routine — chewing, swimming, building. We were visitors in their world, and for a moment, they welcomed us in.
Why This Matters
Beavers in Ealing might sound quirky — but they represent a much bigger shift. They’re a sign of changing attitudes toward urban nature, of giving space back to the wild, and of responding to climate and biodiversity crises with imagination and intent.
What’s most powerful is how it’s happening, through community action, partnerships, and shared purpose. Projects like these require trust, coordination, patience — and a belief that cities can be shared homes for people and wildlife alike.
At The Green Londoner, we want to highlight exactly these kinds of stories: hopeful, local, real. Because rewilding isn’t just for remote landscapes — it’s already happening, here in London. And it’s for everyone.
What You Can Do
- Head to Citizen Zoo’s website to learn more.
- Visit Paradise Fields (it’s open 24/7 and free — just 10 minutes from Greenford tube station on the Central line), especially at sunset to try and spot them. Or join an ecotourism walk with Citizen Zoo.
- Support Citizen Zoo: become a member, donate, volunteer, or browse their online catalogue.
- Check out the most recent video from Wilding Earth, which highlights this project.
- Follow The Green Londoner on Instagram and LinkedIn — and check out Regen City.
