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The European Beaver (Castor fiber) is an endangered aquatic mammal which was hunted almost to extinction in Europe, both for fur and for castoreum, a secretion of its scent gland believed to have medicinal properties.[1] However, this beaver is now being re-introduced throughout Europe. Several thousand live on the Elbe, the Rhone, the Danube and in parts of Scandinavia. They have been reintroduced in Bavaria and The Netherlands and are tending to spread to new locations.[2] The beaver became extinct in Britain in the sixteenth century, but there is now a project which is reintroducing the species to the country. Six European Beavers will be released into a lakeside area in Gloucestershire and allowed to roam wild.[3] There are also plans to bring the beaver to Scotland.[4]
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