A loose beaver has finally been caught after damaging one of the most recognisable features at a golf course in Hertfordshire.

The animal, known as Mrs B, had escaped from Paradise Wildlife Park after digging a hole under the fence of her enclosure.

She set up her new home at the adjacent Hertfordshire Golf and Country Club and immediately began nibbling at the base of a huge birch tree.

The tree, which does not need to be felled, is a regular hazard for many players and their golf balls as it is situated on a small base in the centre of a lake running alongside a green.

Mrs B was eventually caught after being attracted to some fruit and vegetables that had been positioned inside a camouflaged crate.

A member of the golf club told the East Hertfordshire Herald: "A beaver that escaped from Paradise Wildlife Park has been terrorising the club.

"There is a pond in the middle of the park with an island in it and there is a birch tree on there which is about to fall over because of the activity of the beaver."

Meanwhile, a new handbook was recently jointly created by the conservation group RSPB and golf's governing body the R&A to state the important role that golf courses could play in providing natural habitats for different forms of wildlife.

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