The forestry district of Lubliniec shared photographs of the damaged sign on social media. Its message, “Warning! Damage caused by beavers”, had been displayed on a wooden oak post which was subsequently gnawed through.

“We wanted to warn you about the potential consequences of beaver activity at the pond and the surrounding area – since beavers dig burrows under the road and fell trees near the pond – but the beavers didn’t want you to be warned, so…they cut down the oak post displaying the hazard notice,” the foresters wrote.

Beavers were once close to extinction in Poland, with an estimated 235 remaining in 1928. Their population has since recovered to around 150,000.

The animals help retain water and support biodiversity, but can also damage roads, homes and farmland.