Around 500 years after they were hunted to extinction, Eurasian beavers are to be given formal protection and allowed to remain in the Scottish countryside.

The Scottish Government has announced that they can stay where they are as it confirmed that the Eurasian beaver will become the first mammal to be officially reintroduced to the UK.

The decision affects a small group of beavers that were the subject of a reintroduction trial in Argyll, and an estimated 200 animals living on the wild on Tayside after illegal releases.

The controversial rodents, which have caused widespread damage to farmland in some parts of Scotland, will now be allowed to extend their range naturally.