Pair of beavers go missing from Dorset's Mapperton Estate
Woody and Twiggy are thought to have escaped during bad weather
A pair of beavers have gone missing from Dorset's Mapperton Estate, with an appeal for the public to keep an eye out for them..
Woody and Twiggy, who are both four year old Eurasian beavers, are thought to have escaped from their enclosure in Beaminster during bad weather in the run-up to Christmas.
The team at the estate think it's possible the animals could be hiding in the Mangerton, Brit or Symene rivers, with a search party planned for next week.
Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, whose family lives at Mapperton House, said:
“During the severe storms we had at the end of last year, the beaver enclosure at Mapperton was damaged by the sheer torrent of logs and stones that poured down the river and Woody and Twiggy managed to escape.
“As we haven’t seen them for a matter of months it’s possible that they have wandered away from Mapperton and we would very much like the public’s help in tracking them down by letting us know about signs of beaver activity.
“That could be trees that have been gnawed in the very distinctive way that beavers have, or perhaps evidence of young shoots having been eaten.
“They could be anywhere along local river systems and they might have found the River Brit particularly suitable as beaver habitat.
“There is no reason to suppose they have come to any harm, but they are lovely beavers and we miss them and would like to get them safely back home to their enclosure!”
Currently beavers are not allowed to be released into the countryside, although the government is reviewing this policy.
Woody and Twiggy arrived at Mapperton in 2022 under licence from Natural England.
It's also not the first time the pair have made a run for it - after also escaping two years ago during winter storms.
The bribed back to Mapperton with apples and parsnips!