Notorious beaver named Steve McQueen that repeatedly escaped his enclosure in search of love has finally settled down - with Doris

Published: 01:36, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 01:54, 17 July 2026 A lonely beaver who consistently fooled rangers and escaped in search of love has finally settled down. The fugitive rodent, named Steve McQueen for his Great Escape-ing exploits, made multiple attempts to flee his enclosure after arriving at Wallington in Northumberland in 2023. Rangers suspected that Steve had females on his mind, which caused him to make a cunning getaway on three separate occasions. Now he has left his life of mischief behind after finally finding love at a new countryside home in Wales - where he has become a father for the first time. Steve has fallen for a female named Doris after being introduced at Cefn Garthenor farm in April last year. The pair have welcomed their first kit, which is thought to have been born in late May this year. They met Cilla Black-style, having been in adjoining rooms and not able to see one another, interacting on smell alone. Despite being released in separate areas, the two soon found each other and have a 'lorra laughs' together, keeper Alistair Hughes wrote.  Steve McQueen and Doris pictured happily together at their home in mid Wales, where Steve has left his life of crime behind to become a father It has been a long road to a happy ending for Steve, having faced trials and tribulations in his youth. Born in the wild in Scotland, he was captured and taken from his home - suspected to have been by a landowner not happy with his presence. His mother had been caught in a trap in the River Tay and was found to be pregnant. She and the family were quickly transferred to Five Sisters Zoo, where keepers worked to create a safe environment for the female to give birth to her kit.  The family was then relocated to Wallington in 2023, where Steve lived in captivity with his parents and two siblings. They were put in a 24-hectare fenced enclosure on a tributary of the River Wansbeck, where they quickly got to work building dams. When storms damaged the fencing of the enclosure, Steve, the oldest male of the kits, sought to go back to the wild and made his attempts to flee. Each time an opportunity presented itself to him, the rebellious rodent went on the run again.  After his third recapture in December 2024, keepers suspected the young male was in search of love and sought to find him a partner. Three-year-old Steve was subsequently matched with Doris, one year his junior and born in captivity.  Now happily settled down, Doris has tamed Steve's adventurous side and managed to keep him in one place. Mr Hughes told The Times: 'Doris seems to be keeping Steve way too busy for an escape.'  Meanwhile, back at Wallington, Steve's family have also been busy, with kits born there for the third consecutive year. Emily Johnson, a ranger for the National Trust at Wallington, said the births proved the animals were 'healthy and happy'. Young beavers remain with their mother for around two years before leaving to find their own territories. Ms Johnson added: 'If we decide we need to move any more of the older offspring, we will work with the Beaver Trust to find them a suitable new home.'  The animals have transformed their home in Wallington over the past three years. Through the pools and dams created by the family, rangers have recorded a surge in the number of dragonflies and damselflies, as well as record numbers of frogspawn, and other species enjoying the improved habitat, including otters, kingfishers and Daubenton's bats. Paul Hewitt, countryside manager, said: 'Since welcoming the family of beavers to Wallington the resulting impact on the water environment has been nothing short of astonishing. Beavers became extinct in Britain in the 16th century, having once been an important part of the ecosystem. They were hunted for their fur, meat and scent glands.  Now releases in Wallington, as well as in Holnicote in Somerset and on the edge of the South Downs, have led to new hope for the species in this country. As for Steve, he has swapped the escape artist life for that of a doting father for his new kit - who may yet carry his rebellious spirit.