An unexpected population of wild beavers has been found.
Nature recovery programme Cumbria Connect said it could confirm rumours of the animals being spotted in and around the River Lowther in Eden – the first wild population of the semi-aquatic rodent in the county.
Natural England said they were a protected wild population under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations, meaning it was illegal to capture, harm, or disturb them.
Cumbria Connect said it was not involved in the release of the animals and suspected their release was illegal – which it did not “support”.