In a landmark judgment, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has decided to legally grant 15 Eurasian beaver families the permanent “right to remain” within their habitat on the River Otter in East Devon, England.
The “most groundbreaking government decision for England’s wildlife for a generation” comes following a five-year study by the Devon Wildlife Trust regarding beavers’ impact on the local environment and marks the first time in history the English government has supported the reintroduction of an extinct native species within the country. Beavers proved beneficial to the local ecology, the study showed, leading to increased fish biomass, improved water quality, and more food for other animals. Meanwhile, their dams serve as effective flood barriers, preventing nearby homes from being filled with water during storms.
Around 400 years ago, beavers in England went extinct after people hunted them for their meat, fur, and a bodily fluid called castoreum, which is used in perfume, medicine, and food, according to BBC. Since then, the first evidence of a wild breeding population in the country appeared in 2013, when video footage of a young beaver swimming along the River Otter surfaced.
At first, the government threatened to remove the beavers, as unsubstantiated rumors about activists illegally releasing them into the wild in an attempt to revive their numbers surfaced. The Devon Wildlife Trust and University of Exeter, however, won a hard-fought legal battle for the right to study the creatures, who are now legally protected regardless of whether they were deliberately or accidentally returned to their natural environment.
Citing the revival of England’s beaver population as a “public good,” Environment Minister Rebecca Pow mentioned that there will be ongoing attempts to conserve the species, including possibly compensating farmers and landowners in exchange for allowing the animals to live on their land.
There are around 50 beavers living along the River Otter today, all of whom are considered disease-free and non-threatening to the local communities and wildlife that they share their environment with.
It Goods news at last hope they live happy lifes and free now we need uk Govt to stop killing gray Squirrels let them life free
Oh And Mr Jonhson ban trothy hunting in uk wake up man
Animal Lives Matter
Thank you! That is great.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
As they should! I see a beaver or two down the road and they have done wonders for the pond there. I love watching one or both of them. Beavers do great things for our environment and deserve to l live in peace and safely. It is the damns we build that are unhealthy. Beavers do it right.
Let the beavers stay like we already took so many animals home they should stop now. Thank you. I really hope we can let animal be.
Nice to read the good news stories, of campaigns of yours that have a happy ending!
A nice change from the constant bad news about the virus, where some good news is nearly always crowded out by the bad. Keep up your good work!
Nice to read the good news stories, of campaigns of your s that have a happy ending!
A nice change from the constant bad news about the virus, where some good news is nearly always crowded out by the bad. Keep up your good work!
How wonderful……
How wonderful…… M
So good to hear a happy story for a change.
So good to hear a happy story fir a change.
It is about time beavers win the right to live where God put them before humans. It discusts me that humans move in where beavers live and suddenly the beavers get killed, because humans want their land. I hate it and they belong to God not humans.
THANK GOD; FINALLY SOME COMMON SENSE WHEN IT COMES TO GOD’S CREATURES
Such wonderful news. But it shouldn’t be – beavers have lived here for thousands of years before humans destroyed their habitat. They belong here and let’s hope they stay and prosper.
This very good news.
There is time to protect in fact imperative to correct the mistakes we have done throughout history for the better of animals. This is one of those victory not only for animals but for our own humanity. Thank you England.
Wonderful
Wonderful
What a brilliant outcome for the poor animals, finally!!
One more step to total protection for every animals out there !
Thank you!
AWESOME
Great news!
Beavers are beautiful animals and they were here long before humans. They deserve to live in Peace.
Good-to- know information to pass on to our kids and grandkids sharing the world we live in with other species. Heart warming!
Every time we protect an animal we more closer to protecting all of them
Every time we protect an animal we more closer to protecting all of them