In the UK it has been recently realised that ensuring that rivers, upstream, prevents downstream flooding. There's certainly a belief that beavers could help.

In the UK it has been recently realised that ensuring that rivers, upstream, prevents downstream flooding. There's certainly a belief that beavers could help. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/08/dam-it-how-beavers-save-britain-from-flooding https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/08/dam-it-h... We're also animal lovers in the UK, with, I think, a bit of a sense of guilt for the animals we've made extinct on our island. We had bears, beavers, wolves and so on - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_the_British_Isles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_the... Speaking of bears, there is even a surviving bear pit about 10 miles outside London on the Thames: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosherville_Gardens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosherville_Gardens