Hot Dam: Why beavers are Britain’s new climate heroes episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 16, 2026 · 29 MIN

Hot Dam: Why beavers are Britain’s new climate heroes

from Up First from NPR · host Jodiveb

Four hundred years ago, the last of Britain’s native beavers were hunted to extinction. But in 2009, scientists began a grand experiment to bring the furry, buck-toothed rodents back. They relocated a pair of Norwegian beavers to a remote rainforest in Scotland, hoping they’d become the Adam and Eve of a new line of British beavers. Today on The Sunday Story, NPR’s Lauren Frayer travels from the wilds of Scotland to a tube station in London, to explore how these animals – beloved by some humans and loathed by others – are transforming the British landscape.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy🔗 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:📩 Get the full transcript and daily news alerts:👉 https://goo.su/rXoU5U8 👈📌 Support the show by visiting our sponsors and partners.🎧 New episodes every morning at 6 AM ET.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 16, 2026

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