I'll be dammed, beavers are on the way back to UK

Published on Thursday 27 October 2005 11:58

BEAVERS are set to be reintroduced to the UK for the first time in 500 years.

Six European beavers are to be released at an estate in Gloucestershire, and will be the first to roam wild in the UK for centuries after the animals were hunted to extinction in Britain.

The adult rodents were caught in Bavaria in the spring and have spent the last few months in quarantine.

If the pioneering scheme is successful, it is hoped beavers can once again thrive in the British countryside.

Although the animals will be confined to a 500-acre site to start with, experts hope to remove the fences once the beavers have settled in so they can roam freely.

The beaver was hunted to extinction for its fur and the pain-relieving properties of its anal gland secretions.

Experts say it is vegetarian so it should not deplete fish stocks in rivers, and the beavers could also help keep waterways clear.