Baby beaver named after England’s World Cup goalkeeper Mary Earps

A baby beaver has been named after goalkeeper Mary Earps in honour of England reaching the World Cup final.

The kit was born at the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate, near Exmoor, in Somerset, and joins siblings Russo, Toone and Rashford.

Earps is the sixth member of the family born at an enclosure known as Paddocks, with twins – named Moss and Fern – born at a second enclosure nearby.

The beaver kit has been named after England goalkeeper Mary Earps (Barry Edwards/National Trust/PA)

Members of the public were invited to help name the three kits, with the final decision made by the ranger team on the estate.

Earps is the younger sibling of Rashford, the first beaver born on Exmoor for 400 years, who was named after Manchester United player Marcus Rashford in 2021. He was followed by twins Russo and Toone, named after Lionesses Alessia Russo and Ella Toone, last summer.

Rashford has been spotted teaching his latest sibling the important beaver skills needed to build dams and create new pools to attract wildlife.

Twins Moss and Fern, born to first-time parents Lily and Bulrush, are also doing well.

Beaver kit twins Moss and Fern snuggle together on the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate (Barry Edwards/National Trust/PA)

National Trust ranger Jack Siviter said: “We decided to continue with the sporting theme for the Paddocks family due to the success of the women’s football team in reaching the World Cup final, and at our second site liked the nature themes coming through as a fitting tribute to the flora and fauna that the beaver live and work amongst.

“We are particularly pleased for first-time parents, Lily and Bulrush, and it’s great to see their new kits thriving.

“Over the next few months, we’ll be able to track the development of the youngsters and how they start to help us with our conservation work, in particular building more resilience into our landscapes to help mitigate the consequences of extreme weather.”