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Wild beaver spotted in England for first time in 800 years. (Independent)
Rare sighting could mark return for the popular European mammal
Rare sighting could mark return for the popular European mammal
more, with a picture, at the linkThe first wild beaver living in England for more than 800 years is believed to have been spotted by a woman walking her dogs in Devon.
Lorna Douglas, 35, was by the banks of the quite inappropriately-named River Otter near her home in Budleigh Salterton, when one of her dogs became interested in something in the water.
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Ms Douglas was able to identify the beaver by its large, distinctive tail, and experts confirmed that it was indeed one of the European variety, not seen living wild in England since before the 12th century.
The last wild beavers in the UK were in Scotland, but those were hunted to extinction in the 16th century. And while there are more than 600,000 of the creatures across Europe since they became a protected species in the 1920s, they have never been successfully reintroduced here – until now.
Ms Douglas said: “I’ve lived here for about 25 years and never even seen an otter, let alone a beaver. It seemed really friendly and swam in circles a few times before going back under a tree.”
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