If someone said they had spotted a large aquatic mammal by the river Otter, near the town of Ottery St Mary, you would assume it was … well, not a beaver. But you would be wrong. This photograph, by retired environmental scientist Tom Buckley, is believed to show England's first wild beaver for 500 years. And it's making itself at home, judging by the signs of dam-building.
How did it reach this corner of south-east Devon? There are captive beavers in the area, but those responsible insist none of their animals are missing. David Lawrence, the farmer on whose land the mystery beaver was spotted, is happy to have it. "My wife Vicky has put up a safari tent holiday lodge nearby," he told the Western Morning News. "It's an added attraction."
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