Truemors
Bavarian beavers introduced three years ago to an estate in Gloucestershire have bred successfully and Britian's first beavers in 400 years have been born!
Jeremy Paxton, owner of the estate, brought three pairs of beavers – named Tony and Cherie, Gordon and Sarah and John and Pauline – from Bavaria in 2005.
He has spent almost £1million on the project.
He said: ‘I have always wanted to bring an extinct indigenous species back to Britain.
'The process began with discussions with Defra. I had to demonstrate, through research, that the beavers would be beneficial to the environment.
‘When I brought the six original ones over, they had to be quarantined for six months.
'I hired a farm in Devon and various experts, including vets and environmentalists, and built a beaver-friendly habitat with diving pools to ensure they would be happy and comfortable, as they can die quickly if they’re stressed.’
Mr Paxton was then able to release them into Flagham Fen Lake on the estate, which is home to more than 6,000 protected wildlife species.
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