Beavers Are Back on English Rivers for the First Time in 400 Years

The crates were opened at first light, facing the water. The beavers paused, sniffed the river for a moment, and slipped in — the first wild beavers on these banks since the species was hunted to local extinction four centuries ago.

By midday the satellite tags showed both families had selected territories, and by evening the first branches were being dragged into position. Ecologists on site described the pace as "politely determined".

The hope is engineering: beaver dams slow floods, filter water and create wetlands where other species move in within months. The fear, among some farmers, is crops. The licence includes a compensation fund, which both sides call the deal's quiet keystone.

“Two families were released at dawn under a licence ten years in the making. By noon, they had already started building.”