"Compared with England, where the beaver population is estimated at 500, that's quite a feat. But there's a significant downside to the booming Dutch beaver population. Beavers are increasingly digging burrows and tunnels under roads, railways and even more worrying in dykes. For a country where a quarter of the land sits below sea level, this is not a minor problem especially as beavers are not exactly holding back when digging."
"Rivierenland is a region in the middle of the Netherlands, crisscrossed by big rivers, where dykes are crucial for keeping high water at bay. If a major dyke gives way, it would cause a serious flood affecting thousands of people. When it comes to the Dutch dykes, beavers tend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just when the water is high, they start digging in the dykes."
Beavers were extinct in the Netherlands in the early 19th century and were reintroduced in 1988. The population has grown to an estimated 7,000 animals, far exceeding England's roughly 500. Beavers increasingly dig burrows and tunnels under roads, railways and especially dykes. Tunnels stretching up to 17 metres into a dyke have been found, some wide enough for a grown man. Rivierenland relies on dykes to keep high river water at bay, and a major dyke failure would flood thousands. Beavers often dig higher into dykes when burrows flood. Underwater entrances make locating burrows difficult, and night patrols use thermal-imaging cameras to detect activity.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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