Beavers come home to the North-west - after 500 years!

It is believed the Eurasian Beaver became extinct in Britain in the 1500s and by the end of the 1800s only a few hundred beavers remained in Europe.

The beaver display at Martin Mere, Burscough, will not only be the only attraction in the North-west where visitors can watch beavers in their natural habitat, but the first time they have been resident in Lancashire for 500 years.

Centre Manager, Andy Wooldridge, said: "The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust realize that there are so many species of animals and insects, other than birds, that play an active roll in creating and maintaining wetlands.

"Martin Mere, therefore, is diversifying more into wetland creatures for an educational experience - beavers are the original creators of wetlands and play a huge role in shaping the landscape.

"Being native to Lancashire, we hope that having resident beavers will educate our visitors in the role beavers play in forming wetlands as well learning more about beavers ourselves."

Beavers, the world's second largest rodent, are one of nature's engineers excavating canals and building dams and lodges of branch and earth Beavers can live up to 25 years of age. A baby beaver is called a kitt and each pair will produce a litter of between one and six kitts a year.

A family of four beavers have been released, an adult pair and two kitts, one male one female, and we will watch them create their own lodge over the next month. They have come over from Bavaria in Germany and have spent six months in quarantine in Devon.

Entirely vegetarian, the beavers will be fed everyday at 4pm on root vegetables, leaves and fruit allowing visitors the opportunity to see the creatures over the summer holidays.

The feed will be followed by an opportunity for the public to talk to a warden looking after the beavers.

They can be found at a large enclosure next to the Eco-garden and a viewing lodge has been constructed to ensure the animals can not be disturbed whilst being watched.