Longleat makes UK history as beavers adopt a new home
An unusual pair are living in the same waters
History has been made at Longleat as the hippos are now sharing their habitat with some wild beavers.
It's the first time in over 100,000 years in the UK that the two animals are living in the same waters.
It's thought the last time hippos and beavers were found together in the UK was during the Eemian period which also saw elephants and monkeys roam the country.
In recent years, groups of animals have been released at sites across the country and a first sighting of them at Longleat happened in October last year.
Mark Tye, Longleat Team Manager Lakes & Birds said:
"I was driving home through the estate back in October last year when I spotted something in the car headlights and I did a bit of a double take.
"At first I couldn't quite work out what I was looking at, but it soon became very clear when I saw the huge paddle-like tail there was a beaver crossing the road in front of me!"
The artificial half mile long lake at Longleat appears to have created a nice home for the beavers, who were seen building a dam.
The news of their arrival has been welcomed by Eva Bishop, Communications Director for the Beaver Trust:
"We were delighted to hear of the arrival of beavers in the woods around Longleat, an exciting moment for the whole team there to witness their return and activities in action.
"Beavers are a gift in these changeable times, for their potential water and wildlife benefits, so to follow them establishing within the Longleat surroundings will be fascinating.
"More exciting still, this will be the first time in over 100,000 years that beavers have co-existed alongside hippos in Britain, where they once lived together in the giant swamps of interglacial Europe.
"It is also exciting for the many visitors to Longleat who may be seeing beaver evidence for the first time; the gnawed willow branches or classic beaver-gnawed tree stumps.
"Beavers are one of the large herbivores that have been missing from our landscape for 400 years so we want to share this excitement with everyone."