Escaped beaver Beryl killed on road in Plymouth

Beryl the beaver was found dead on Forder Valley Road in Forder Valley Nature Reserve, near her enclosure

A beaver who escaped with her mate from a rewilding project has been found dead near the enclosure where she lived.

Beryl the beaver is believed to have been killed by a car on a road near the enclosure in Plymouth.

The enclosure fencing was damaged in heavy rain and she and her mate named Brian escaped overnight on Sunday, Plymouth City Council said.

Beryl arrived in Plymouth in January and she and Brian were the first beavers in the area for 400 years.

A council spokesperson said it was assumed she had been hit by a car.

Beryl's body was found at about 03:30 BST on Forder Valley Road, near the enclosure at Poole Farm.

The council said Brian the beaver had been located and the team were working to capture him.

The project team had repaired damage to the enclosure fencing caused by heavy rain on Sunday but later found there was further damage under the water line "which allowed both beavers to escape at some point on Sunday night."

Beryl, the female Eurasian beaver was brought to Plymouth in January

A spokesperson said the team were "deeply sad" about what had happened.

"We continue to work with the expert team of advisors who have guided the project from its inception and will now take some time to review the situation and decide what is best for Brian going forward," they said.

The council said many residents who had been following Brian and Beryl's progress would be "equally distressed".

The male beaver was released into the Forder Valley in November and the female Eurasian beaver was caught in the wild in the Tay Catchment in Scotland, and introduced in January.

The aim of the project, called Green Minds, was for the beavers to reduce flooding downstream and create habitats for wildlife in the Bircham Valley.