Missing beavers on the free as public warned over key indicators to look out for

Two beavers are missing from the Mapperton Estate near Beaminster, Dorset after escaping during the winter storms before Christmas last year

The public is being asked to look out for “gnawed trees” in the hunt for two missing beavers.

Woody and Twiggy are four-year-old Eurasian beavers who have been living on the Mapperton Estate near Beaminster, Dorset. The pair made their escape during the winter storms in the lead-up to Christmas.

Now the team responsible for the beavers, who were part of the Mapperton Wildlands rewilding project, think the pair could be hiding out along the Mangerton River or may have even migrated to other waterways.

They are encouraging people to keep their eyes open for signs of beavers near rivers and streams – including gnawed trees or shoots that have been eaten.

Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, whose family lives at Mapperton House, explained that the severe storms damaged the beaver enclosure and allowed them to escape.

He said: “It’s possible that they have wandered away from Mapperton and we would very much like the public’s help in tracking them down.

“There is no reason to suppose they have come to any harm, but they are lovely beavers and we miss them.”

This is not the first time Woody and Twiggy, who arrived at Mapperton in 2022 under licence from Natural England, have made a break for it.

Two years ago they enjoyed an excursion along the riverbank before being bribed to return with plentiful apples and parsnips,” a Natural England spokesperson said.

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