North American beavers are considered a foundation species, meaning their behavior supports entire ecosystems. — The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is inviting the public to watch four newborn beavers grow up through a livestream from its reservation in southwest Washington.
A pregnant beaver arrived at the tribe’s beaver husbandry facility on April 15 and gave birth to four healthy kits the following day. The tribe launched its Beaver Kit Cam shortly after, giving viewers a real-time look at the babies and their mother as they eat, swim, and develop survival skills.
Beavers, known as ɬə́qʼƛʼk in the Cowlitz language — a word that translates to “wide belly” — are culturally significant to the tribe.
They’re also ecologically critical. North American beavers are considered a foundation species, meaning their behavior supports entire ecosystems. They restore wetlands, improve water quality, increase drought resilience, and create habitat for fish and wildlife.
But beaver populations across the region remain well below historical levels after commercial fur trapping and habitat destruction during colonization decimated their numbers in the 1800s.
The tribe’s Natural Resources Department operates a beaver relocation program designed to reverse that decline. Each year, the program relocates roughly 70 beavers — about 20 to 30 family groups — from areas where they’ve come into conflict with people to suitable habitat in the Cascade Mountains.
The program is permitted through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Beaver Relocation Permit Program. Wildlife professionals bring beavers to the tribe’s facility and hold them for seven to 10 days while additional family members are captured. Staff have minimal contact with the animals and provide fresh willow, cattails, and water daily.
Cowlitz Tribe’s relocation program reunites family groups before releasing them into the Cascades
Once a family group is complete, they are released into pre-identified habitats. The tribe then monitors the animals to track relocation success and habitat outcomes.
The mother and her four kits will remain at the facility longer than a typical relocation stay. Wild beaver kits usually spend their first five weeks inside a lodge, where they grow, gain weight, and develop waterproofing oils in their fur that allow them to dive and evade predators. The tribe plans to hold the family until the babies are old enough to survive a release into the wild.
Beavers typically give birth between mid-April and mid-May.
The Kit Cam is available online for viewers who want to follow the family’s progress.
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
Manda Factor is the co-host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here.
©2026 Cox Media Group
