Britain Considers Bringing Back Beavers After 400 Years

LONDON - The British government is considering plans to release beavers back into the wild across England some four centuries after the dam-building mammals became extinct in Britain. 

The proposals, described as a cautious step toward establishing a native beaver population, would see the animals allowed to be introduced if strict criteria were met along with an assessment of their impact on the surrounding land and other species.  It comes after a successful five-year trial on the River Otter in Devon, a rural county in southwest England, concluded a family of beavers had a beneficial effect on the local ecology in what was the first legally sanctioned reintroduction to England of an extinct native mammal.  "Today marks a significant milestone for the reintroduction of beavers in the wild," environment minister George Eustice said on Wednesday at the start of a 12-week consultation on the plans.