Rewilding Portugal team recounts first beaver sighting in centuries

André Couto and Pedro Ribeiro, Rewilding Portugal technicians, describe how they confirmed the return of the Eurasian beaver to Portugal after centuries of local extinction. Signs of gnawed trees found along the Douro in March 2025 were confirmed in May with camera traps, after years of tracking the species' natural spread from Spain along the Tormes river. Monitoring will now focus on the Douro, including near the Ulces river mouth, to determine whether beavers have established a permanent territory. Both researchers describe the discovery as a deeply personal and professional milestone.