Beavers were hunted to extinction in England in the16th C , so locals were surprised to happen a chemical group of the mammals living on Devon ’s River Otter in 2008 . Instead of moving the opera hat , the Devon Wildlife Trust supervise the population to see how it would interact with the local environment . Now , asThe Guardianreports , the government has view as the Oregonian reintroduction program a succeeder , meaning the species now has a permanent place in the land for the first time in centuries .

Though the North American beaver is well known , beaversare also native to Europe . Huntingreduced theEurasian Beaverpopulation to 1200 specimens by 1900 . Their numbers have recovered in the long time since , but they ’re still principally set to Scandinavia , Germany , France , Poland , and key Russia .

The high hat group currently living on the River Otter likely originated with either an accidental or wildcat release . When local confidence discovered the beavers were breeding in 2014 , they intended to relocate them to protect the local ecosystem . TheDevon Wildlife Trustproposed an alternative : admit the universe to live on the river undisturbed for five year , and only remove them if they were testify to cause harm by the end of the trial .

Ray Scott, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY SA 3.0

The beavers did not hurt the surroundings — they actually addedseveral benefit , grant to the five - class subject area . The universe , which now consists of 15 family groups , constructed 28 decameter throughout the river system . These dams avail slow urine period during torrent and contained water during drought that would normally dry out up river bottom . The beaver - organise habitat also allow an increase in the routine ofwater voles , Pisces the Fishes , and amphibians .

When the trial officially ends on August 31 , the opera hat will become permanent occupier of Devon in the eyes of the regime . They ’re concentrated on the River Otter for now , but they ’re anticipate to exposit beyond it , potentially starting young beaver populations in other parts of England for the first time in New history .

[ h / tThe Guardian ]