BEAVERS returned to mid Wales for the first time in centuries earlier this month.

The release of beavers into the Dyfi Nature Reserve follows the successful return of ospreys and red kites to the region over the past few decades.

Rewilding is a controversial topic with the debate over the merits of introducing long lost animals to habitats they have not roamed in centuries still ongoing.

However the fact remains that Britain was once home to myriad of wildlife found throughout the countryside.

Some of these were killed for their skins and some for the food they provided while a few were utilised for both.

Others were hunted as they had been viewed as pests or lost habitats to expanding human settlements.

Many native or animals introduced to Britain were extinct by the Early Medieval era while others barely survived in more isolated parts of the country.

So what other animals would you have possibly seen in Powys throughout the ages.

Red and Roe Deer

Red deer. Picture by Mehmet Karatay. Wiki.

Red deer. Picture by Mehmet Karatay. Wiki.

They are the only two species of deer native to the British Isles and their remains are found on sites throughout the Saxon period as well as their antlers and bones being used for a variety of craft purposes. They are depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry being hunted by hounds.

Grey Wolf

Grey wolf. Picture by Daniel Mott/Wiki.

Grey wolf. Picture by Daniel Mott/Wiki.

Wolves were plentiful in Britain in the Saxon period. References are made to various laws regarding hunting them and they are not thought to have become extinct until sometime after the 13th century

Wild Boar

Wild Boar. Picture by Valentin Panzirsch/Wiki.

Wild Boar. Picture by Valentin Panzirsch/Wiki.

The wild boar was found throughout Britain during the Early Medieval period and probably did not become extinct until the 13th century.

Woodcock

A woodcock. Picture by Ronald Slabke/Wiki.

A woodcock. Picture by Ronald Slabke/Wiki.

Woodcock has been hunted in the British Isles for a considerable amount of time, with examples known from Roman and Romano-British sites.

Lynx

A lynx. Picture by Charlie Jackson/Wiki.

A lynx. Picture by Charlie Jackson/Wiki.

Once thought to have been extinct by the Saxon period before new research discovered that it was present in Britain until at least the start of the 7th century.

Cranes

A crane. Picture by Andreas Trepte/Wiki.

A crane. Picture by Andreas Trepte/Wiki.

The last record of cranes nesting in Britain is from Pembrokeshire from 1603AD and by 1650 the cultural era of the crane was over in British literature. By this time, cranes stopped migrating to Britain in any strength until late twentieth century re-introduction in Britain.