For the first time in about 1,000 years, a beaver has been spotted in northern Jutland, reports DR.
The brown, semi-aquatic rodent was observed near the fifth hole at Jammerbugten Golf Club in Fjerritslev.
“We noticed our trenches were filled with water, and when we went to check them, we heard babbling and saw there was a dam built there,” Anders Nielsen, the club’s greenkeeper, told DR.
In 1999, some 18 beavers were released into the woods of Klosterheden Plantage, a triangular area between Struer, Lemvig and Holstebro in Jutland.
Since then, the nocturnal animals have bred and spread out.
Hunted to extinction
However, wildlife experts are surprised that two beavers have been seen near the Hanherred district, more than 100 km far away.
“It is the first time a beaver has crossed the Limfjord and tipped its toes in the sea,” Tommy Hansen, a wildlife consultant at the Thy nature agency, told DR.
In Denmark, beavers were hunted to extinction because of their valuable long-hair fur.
Known for their natural trait of building dams on rivers and streams, beavers create habitats important for a variety of animals.
