A secret underground network that is illegally releasing Beaver In the wild, it is said that they are “working as God”.
Activist group member risk arrest and possible jail time Beaver’s unlicensed release.
This is a crime Wildlife And to release the rural areas Act 1981 Beaver in the wild without licenseAnd groups in rural areas have called upon the government to take strong action to manage illegal release.
However, Ben, who spoke anonymously to the BBC, said: “This is essentially God’s job. We are reducing the loss of hundreds of years ago and bringing back these extraordinary animals.”
Government approves release Beaver Earlier this year, in the hope of cutting the risks of floods in the English wild and in the hope of restoring nature.
A licensing system has been introduced to allow reproduction of semi-raletic animals, whose dams, canals and ponds increase the wildlife And provide protection against Floods And dry.
There are only two complete applications to release Beaver In the Wild: The River Oter Beaver Trial 2015-2020, and recently the National Trust’s Parabake Beaver Project, which released two couples in the dorset earlier this year.
Beaver, significant to shape his environment, disappeared from Britain four centuries ago due to hunting.
They have since run to England rivers which have been through migration and illegal release and were legally preserved in 2022.
However, Ben, whose name has been changed, told the BBC that the legal route to release the beaver is “very bureaucratic”, so they are taking cases into their own hands.
The group works under a shroud of privacy to protect itself from being arrested.
Ben said, “You don’t want to be caught with a box of beaver in the boot, so you have to be quite quickly.”
“You open the door, do it and drive. They are very happy immediately in water.”
However, the National Farmers Union has said that farmers are concerned about the effects of beaver on their land, business and food production.
NFU Vice President David Xwood said: “With the existing legal and illegal population of expanded beepers across England, the government needs to take strong action to manage illegal release and before allowing any further release.”
He said, “NFU wants to work with the government in developing its approach and will continue to monitor the existing beaver population and policy development to ensure that the right strategy to reduce any negative effects is the right strategy, management options and replacing support.”
Consetists have long advocated for licensed wild reproduction to enrich the UK. Biodiversity And benefits communities.
Evidence from five -year test on river otar Devon This indicates that beaver-made housing supports various wildlife, including water wolves and dragonflies.
They also slow down the flow of water, reduce the risk of floods, and store water in the landscape during the drought, as well as cleanse polluted river systems, remove sediment and storage of carbon.
The Beaver Religion Manager in Wildlife Trusts. Angelica von Hamendhal said that the organization does not support the release of wild animals without a license, but the “luxurious work that beaver does in our river systems” should be emphasized.
He said that wildlife trusts hopes to “move a meaningful number of wild release licenses”, as restoring the beaver to Wild will play an important role in dealing with nature and climate emergency situations.
Natural England stated that it is important that to maximize benefits and reduce risks, the re -production of species is carefully conducted.
