Beavers transform Devon’s River Otter – but their return across England and Wales has stalled

A beaver on the River Otter. They first appeared there in 2008 and are now living in 20 family territories along the river and its tributaries. Photograph: Michael Symes/Devon Wildlife Trust

On a winding country lane in a secret location in east Devon, just a few metres from the side of the road, an inconspicuous pile of logs, twigs, sticks and leaves has been crammed over the rushing River Otter.

Passersby would not give this messy mound a second thought, but closer inspection reveals a very deliberate quality to its construction, in the form of neatly cut branches layered in a distinctive pattern. This is a wild beaver dam.