After an absence from Italy of nearly 500 years, beavers are back.

The species, which was once widespread across Europe, has been spotted in Italy’s northerly region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The animals are believed to have wandered over the border from neighbouring Austria or possibly Slovenia.

An adult beaver was filmed by a camera trap in a forest near Tarvisio, a town that lies in the triangle where Italy, Austria and Slovenia converge.