Holnicote beaver kit named Earps after Lioness goalie

There's been a bit of controversy over goalkeeper Mary Earps's kit - but another type of kit must have cheered her up ahead of trying to keep a clean sheet against Spain.

Earps was reported to be upset that replicas of the goalie shirt she wears have not gone on sale to the public.

But this week news cane that a baby beaver - known as a kit - had been officially named Earps in her honour.

Earps has become the sixth member of the family born at one enclosure known as Paddocks on the Holnicote Estate in West Somerset this spring, with a pair of twins – now named Moss and Fern born at Whitemans, a second enclosure nearby.

All three baby beavers were named after the public were invited to help name the kits, with the final decision made by the ranger team on the estate.

Earps is the younger sibling to Rashford, the first beaver born on Exmoor for 400 years, who was named after Manchester United player Marcus Rashford in 2021. He was followed by twins Russo and Toone last summer.

Rashford has been spotted teaching Earps beaver skills needed to be ‘eco-engineers’ by building dams and creating new pools to attract wildlife.

Jack Siviter, National Trust ranger at Holnicote said: “We decided to continue with the sporting theme for the Paddocks family due to the success of the women’s football team in reaching the World Cup final.”

Beavers are described as ecosystem engineers due to their ability to change the landscape around them as they make the family lodge and nearby dams, which then creates ponds and channels.

These filter and slow down the flow of water, and the felling of trees in the surrounding areas encourage ground flora such as marsh marigold to bloom.

Jack added: “Over the next few months, we’ll be able to track the development of the youngsters and how they start to help us with our conservation work, in particular building more resilience into our landscapes to help mitigate the consequences of extreme weather.”