Beavers in Devon

Be very careful if you are visiting Lifton in Devon in the New Year. A local farmer, Mr Derek Gow is going to lay the most infernal of temptations in the path of every sweet toothed male in the land. He wants to catch a male 'on the loose'. The BBC warns us that he's been setting 'Honey traps' that have the scent of a female beaver. Last time I heard of a honey trap being used was when I was a teenager, with a big interest in boxing. A new loud-mouthed young heavyweight named Cassius Clay was carrying a big honey trap about his person, seeking to catch the World Champion, Sonny Liston, whom he referred to the 'Big Ugly Bear'. No-one gave Clay a chance of winning - but he did when the 'Bear' failed to emerge from his corner for round 8. It was one of the biggest shocks in boxing history, and launched the incredible career of the man who became Mohammad Ali. Anyway, back in Devon, it seems that an escapee male beaver, weighing in at about six stone, is wreaking havoc in the area, cutting down trees and making a thorough nuisance of himself. Strikes me there could be potential for this form of hunting as a popular country sport - without the controversy involved in fox hunting.