A competition held by the charity Devon Wildlife Trust to find a name for its beaver
mascot has revealed a winner. 'Nora', is the name chosen for the six-foot tall
mascot which is being used by the charity to promote its work for England's only
breeding population of wild beavers which live on the River Otter, East Devon.
The name, which plays on the rodents' habit of gnawing on riverside trees and
plants, was the idea of Sidmouth shop owner Karen Greenslade.
Speaking at her Humbug Gifts shop, Karen said:
"I was delighted when I heard that Devon Wildlife Trust had picked Nora as its
mascot's name. I'd been 'beavering' away for ages to try and come up with something
appropriate! It's good to know that the River Otter beavers are in the safe paws of
the Devon Wildlife Trust!"
The name Nora was chosen from more than 60 name suggestions sent in to the wildlife
charity. Devon Wildlife Trust's Steve Hussey said:
"We were delighted by the response we had. People sent in suggestions from as far
afield as Canada and the USA. It goes to show that the wild beavers living on the
River Otter have quite a following. Several people suggested the name Nora, but
Karen was the first to come up with it."
"There is a serious side to the mascot and its naming. Our River Otter Beaver Trial
is investigating the impact that England's only breeding population of wild beavers
is having on the local landscape, on local farming, on local communities and the
local economy. It's a five-year trial which is costing our charity upwards of
£500,000 to run. We hope 'Nora' will raise the profile of the project and motivate
people to help us."
One local company who has already stepped in to help Devon Wildlife Trust has been
Cofton Country Holidays. The South Devon-based company has sponsored Nora.
The
mascot will be appearing at Cofton Country Holidays throughout the summer in a
series of pond-dipping days run at its holiday destination.
Mellony Kirby, Director at Cofton Country Holidays commented:
"Nora's a brilliant name for the River Otter beaver mascot and we just know that
kids at Cofton will love meeting her this summer."
"Having a six foot beaver on hand to help with our pond dipping days will certainly
leave a lasting memory, and we hope that the experience will encourage our younger
visitors to think more deeply about the environment and the richness of wildlife
that exists within it, especially here in South Devon."
Mellony added:
"As a David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme Gold winner, wildlife and the
environment is very important to us. Over the years Devon Wildlife Trust has advised
us on our nature trails, which take visitors through parkland and woodland to
Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve. For us the opportunity to help Devon Wildlife Trust
raise money for its work through the sponsorship of Nora made great sense,
especially given the national importance of the River Otter project, which aims to
encourage a wild beaver population on the river."
People wanting to support Devon Wildlife Trust's River Otter Beaver Trial are
encouraged to visit the charity's website
www.devonwildlifetrust.org/river-otter-beavers where they can see exclusive footage of the beavers taken this spring.
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