CHESHIRE Wildlife Trust has welcomed the launch of a consultation by the Government yesterday, which asks the public if they want to see beavers released into the wild in England.

This comes following the release of a pair of beavers near Delamere Forest in November 2020.

To date, the only officially sanctioned beavers living wild in the UK are in Scotland and along the River Otter in Devon, where Devon Wildlife Trust has worked with the local community to ensure they can thrive.

Last year, Cheshire Wildlife Trust released a pair of Eurasian beavers into a 4.5 hectare enclosure at Hatchmere Nature Reserve near Delamere Forest as part of a five-year reintroduction project.

Following the trust’s appeal to bring them back to the county after a 400 year absence, more than half of the £85,000 that was needed was raised by members of the public.

Kevin Feeney, senior living landscape officer for Cheshire Wildlife Trust said: "The news on a beaver consultation in England is positive.

"Beavers are a natural and sustainable solution to managing wildlife havens.

"We spend a lot of our time managing sites for nature, which beavers do better and cheaper.

"We can already see the huge benefits to Hatchmere in less than a year and other species including dragonflies and amphibians are already flourishing here compared to previous years."

The Wildlife Trusts believe beavers should be allowed to return to the wild across the UK and expand their range naturally.

The movement of 46 charities has been calling for ambitious strategies in England and the devolved nations to enable this to happen.

The public have until November 17 to have their say.