SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — A beaver that has been chewing down trees in a Salisbury park can stay.

Public Works Director Teresa Gardner says the state Department of Natural Resources has recommended the beaver should be allowed to stay in a City Park creek for now.

DNR game management official Pete Jayne told The Daily Times of Salisbury that how long the beaver stays in the park depends on how much food is available. Jayne says beavers can stay in one place for years.

The nearby Salisbury Zoo has two beavers. Zoo director Joel Hamilton says wild beavers in the park are a rare occurrence with the last reported sighting seven or eight years ago. However, the zoo director says beavers, which were once nearly eliminated from the Delmarva peninsula, are coming back.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)