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British beavers back in the wild after 400 years

Beavers return to wild after 400 years

Location: Devon, England

Courtesy: Devon Wildlife Trust/Mike Symes

A group of wild beavers living in England

have been granted permission to stay

after a five-year reintroduction trial

showed their dam-building activities

were good for both people and wildlife

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, REBECCA POW, SAYING:

"If you want a more diverse habitat to work alongside with our farming, and our healthy and sustainable food production, then natural management systems like this that the beavers can provide are one of the answers - that farmers can be paid to have the beavers on their land."

The semi-aquatic vegetarian mammals

were hunted to extinction in Britain

more than four centuries ago

but this family was found in 2013

They have built 28 dams so far

and have enhanced the wetland habitats