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On the River Otter: successful rewilding of the beaver

JWNews

Six years ago, beavers were spotted in the wild for the first time in hundreds of years – and it was in East Devon:

Futures Forum: On the River Otter: First ever video of a wild beaver in England

Although a correspondent had pointed out that this was in fact the second viewing:

Futures Forum: On the River Otter: First ever video of a wild beaver in England… but two and a half years ago…

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Since then, there has been a huge effort to convince the authorities that the beavers should stay:

Futures Forum: On the River Otter: beavers and rewilding Devon … and “trying to repair the monstrous damage we have inflicted on nature in Britain”

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And now a five-year programme to do just that has come to an end – as reported across the media these last days:

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At the centre of these efforts has been the Devon Wildlife Trust:

https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/what-we-do/our-projects/river-otter-beaver-trial

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And so successful has this project been that there are now further plans to reintroduce the beaver elsewhere in England:

Story image for beavers devon wildlife trust from BBC Countryfile Magazine

Beavers to be reintroduced in southern England

BBC Countryfile Magazine–22 Nov 2019
Beavers once made up an important part of the UK’s wildlife, … There are currently small populations of beavers on the River Otter in South East Devon, … said Mark Harold, Director of Land and Nature at the National Trust.
The National Trust announces planned reintroduction of beavers
BBC Discover Wildlife–22 Nov 2019

Story image for beavers devon wildlife trust from Telegraph.co.uk

Beavers could be reintroduced into the wild by government for …

Telegraph.co.uk–29 Oct 2019
It is currently illegal to release beavers into the wild, because of the … on the River Otter, which are supervised by the Devon Wildlife Trust, and …

Beavers to be reintroduced in Somerset and South Downs

BBC News–20 Nov 2019
Beavers will be released at two sites in the south of England next spring, the National Trust … natural processes and contributing to the health and richness of wildlife in the area,” Ben Eardley, project manager for the National Trust at Holnicote said. … in recent years, including on the River Otter in Devon.
Beavers to be released in plan to ease flooding and aid …
In-Depth–The Guardian–19 Nov 2019
   
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