The rodents, which were hunted to extinction in England hundreds of years ago for their fur and oil, were once a common feature of our rivers. They may soon be again, after the government announced yesterday that it would approve the first wild beaver releases in England for hundreds of years.
Walking to the edge of Jones's farm, you can feel the soil start to get damper. Lush grass - perfect for his cattle - grows around fat splodges of frogspawn as pasture gradually gives way to wetland. That, along with the half-munched willow branches strewn across the ground, is a sure sign you are entering the realm of the beaver.
Walk further on and you can hear the water flowing through the series of dams built by the industrious rodents and see glassy pools around lichen-covered trees. At the top of the enclosure is a pond, featuring two beaver lodges.
The beaver enclosure was once wet pasture, and then it became a wildlife area with the pond - though before its rodent inhabitants moved in it was about a third of its current size. "I still bring the animals in to graze sometimes, particularly when it's dry," Jones said. "There is no conflict between livestock and beaver." The habitat is stunning, with wetland areas of various depths and rivulets of water flowing at different speeds. There are shallow areas lined with gravel which make perfect fish nurseries, and lush vegetation which, come spring, will be humming with invertebrate life.
But Jones yearns to free his beavers. "This really is a postage stamp," he sighs. "If we could let them out, we could have this landscape all the way down to the sea. The water companies and the Environment Agency should be all over it."
この記事は The Guardian の March 01, 2025 版に掲載されています。
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