Water voles are being reintroduced to the River Wey in Farnham after a 20-year absence from the area.
About 300 of the animals have been released into the river in the town centre as part of a wider project to help the species recover, after it became Britain’s fastest declining mammal because of habitat loss and predation, the National Trust said.
The release in Surrey on Monday was led by the National Trust and Environment Agency, alongside local groups and volunteers.
The species, immortalised as “Ratty” in The Wind in the Willows, has been locally extinct for two decades said David Elliott, National Trust lead ranger for South Downs West.