A woman who popped out to buy some eggs ended up in a rescue operation to catch a beaver loose on a beach in Kent.

Lindsey Gray, discovered the animal while en route to the shops and alerted the authorities.



Beavers typically live in freshwater areas such as rivers, streams, and lochs, and overexposure to saltwater can quickly prove fatal.

The Sandwich resident explained: "I’d got about 100 yards along the bay when I drove past it."



"I used to live in America, so I first thought it was a woodchuck. But then I thought it wasn’t because I’m not in America anymore."



"I then realised it was a beaver – and I really didn’t know what to do."



Ms Gray said she knew beavers shouldn’t be on the beach, so she decided to call for help.

"I knew he shouldn’t be there and I was desperately trying to think of what to do, so I called the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR)," she said."



"The person I spoke to said if beavers ingest too much saltwater, they can die. "

"The beaver went up to the water as if he knew he needed to swim back home, but also knew if he went into the water he would die."



"I kept an eye on him for an hour until the BDMLR turned up." "

During this time, Ms Gray developed an attachment to the animal, later nicknaming him Justin.



She said that despite her two dogs in the car, the animal seemed unflustered by them.

"The beaver wasn’t perturbed by my two dogs in the car," the 57-year-old explained. "

"They weren’t barking but I’m sure he could have smelt them."



"He came right up to the car twice." "

When experts arrived on the scene, they patiently waited for the beaver to fall asleep before safely trapping it.



The animal has now been rescued and is being transported to Wildwood, a woodland park in Kent.



It may be sent to the RSPCA for further care.



This is the second beaver to wash up on a Kent beach in less than a week.

On Sunday 17 March, a beaver was rescued from Sandwich Bay after ingesting saltwater and getting into difficulty.



It was taken to the vet, where the salt was washed out of its fur, and then transported to the RSPCA.



The animal welfare charity explained that young, curious beavers sometimes venture out of their family lodges to explore, but end up getting washed down the river and out to sea.

Many then end up in difficulty and ingest saltwater, which can cause them to lose their lives.

Others wash up onshore, where, like Justin, they are hopefully rescued.