In Pictures: Beavers and Bridgerton lookalikes among animal highlights for 2025

Ministers announced a licensing system to legally return beavers to the wild in England this year, with the first pair released in Dorset in March.

A beaver is released into the wild in a nature reserve in England under a new licensing system announced by the Government (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Archive)

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From the first official return of beavers into the wild in England in more than 400 years, to the innovative use of a mobile CT scan to investigate a tiger’s medical issues, 2025 has been another eventful year in the animal world.

As well as the regular weigh-ins and stocktakes at zoos and wildlife parks across the UK, there was stiff competition in the new Best Bridgerton Lookalike category at a London dog show over the summer, and some hard graft put in by police dogs carrying out security checks in Windsor ahead of the state visit by US President Donald Trump in September.

Here are some of our animal highlights for 2025.

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In Pictures: Beavers and Bridgerton lookalikes among animal highlights for 2025

Ministers announced a licensing system to legally return beavers to the wild in England this year, with the first pair released in Dorset in March.

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