Exmoor beaver named after England's Marcus Rashford

The first beaver born on Exmoor for 400 years has been named after England footballer Marcus Rashford.

The kit, which was born on the National Trust's Holnicote Estate, was named after the striker by thousands of people in a social media poll.

The conservation charity opened up the vote to name it as part of England's Euros football celebrations.

"Gnashford" received half of all the votes ahead of Banksy, for river banks, where beavers make their homes.

Footage from a static camera captured it swimming with its mother back to the family lodge, while stopping to nibble a branch.

The once-native mammals are able to restore wetland habitats but were hunted to extinction for their fur, glands and meat in the 16th century.

A ranger from the estate said the new family of beavers were "thriving".

The trust said the 2.7 hectare (6.7 acre) enclosure the beavers were released into has since been transformed from unmanaged woodland to a more open wetland, attracting more wildlife, in just 18 months.

National Trust project manager at Holnicote Ben Eardley said: "The beavers are doing a lot of what we want to see in terms of conservation and land management.

"They are letting the light and the water into the site, helping natural processes and providing opportunities for a host of other wildlife."

A consultation on the approach to beavers in England and managing them in the wild is expected to take place in the summer.

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