Beaver family allowed to stay on Devon river
Beavers living on the River Otter in Devon will be allowed to remain living in the wild, if free of disease.
Government agency Natural England has decided to award the Devon Wildlife Trust a five-year licence to manage the animals, on a trial basis.
The animals must first be trapped and tested to ensure they are a European species and free from tapeworm.
This is the first time such permission has been given to re-introduce a mammal previously extinct in England.
Sarah Ransome spoke to Steve Hussey of the Devon Wildlife Trust, close to where some beavers are now living.
What remains a mystery is how the family of beavers was able to make its home on the River Otter.
One theory is that this was the work of "beaver bombers" - wildlife vigilantes who illegally release animals in to the wild.
28 Jan 2015