AFTER months spent out of sight, the ‘Beast from the East’ might have reared its furry head once again…
First spotted in Rozel in October, the Island’s coypu, described by witnesses as looking like a ‘ginormous rat’, was thought to have been washed ashore following a period of stormy weather.
A new possible sighting of a coypu was recorded recently, according to the government’s natural environment team.
Originating in South America, coypus were later introduced to France and parts of the UK, primarily by fur farmers.
The creatures are commonly found in estuaries and beaches on the French peninsula. There are coypu colonies in the Rance river, which flows into the sea between St Malo and Dinard.
Since the first sighting in October, Islanders have reported seeing the runaway rodent in Trinity and St Ouen’s Bay.
Speaking after the first confirmed sighting of the animal last year, JEP nature correspondent Bob Tompkins said: ‘They are not common in Jersey.
We usually find them dead washed up on beaches in the east coast of the Island.
‘This is a one-off – I’ve never heard of one making it to the shore alive.’
