Busy beavers’ activity caught on tape.
Carefully woven straw and sticks are often discovered by staff when they drain the pool used by five very busy orphaned beavers.
Janalene Kingshott photo
Everyday is a challenge when you’re taking care five busy young beavers. Everyday is also an amazing discovery as staff uncovers one more way the beavers have found to drag things into their pond, and create their version of a dam or lodge.
They fit the stereotype of “busy beavers.” They have an outdoor area, with ramps they climb to get out where their bigger toys used for enrichment – logs and branches – are gathered. Somehow, the beavers manage to wiggle, pull and push these logs up and down the ramps, and through the small entrance in the barn wall, to put them into their indoor pond. Sometimes staff feels guilty undoing the beavers’ hard work, and leave a few pieces in the pool, but they also have to keep the pool clean, draining and cleaning it everyday.
The beavers also use the small stuff for their daily dam building. They carefully weave and pack straw and sticks from their pen along the bottom of the pool, packing it tightly enough that it won’t float to the surface.
Staff members don’t discover the effort until the water is drained, and the beavers’ project turns into a cleaning project for employees. The beavers have also pulled the cloth used to block the opening where a hose used the drain the water – pulling it into the pond to use in their construction period.
Although the work never stops for staff who dismantle beaver projects, the entertainment never stops either as they discover new industrious ways the orphaned beavers have put their natural instincts to build to work.
This spring, Aspen will be able to share those moments with visitors. While rehabilitating young animals must remain afraid of humans in order to be successfully released, that makes it hard to show visitors what’s happening behind the scenes.
Now, thanks to the generosity of Heather McLaren of Pointe Au Baril, we have video cameras that will be set up in areas such as the nursery so that visitors will be able to watch the orphans being fed and cared for, as well as in other areas of the Sanctuary.
Currently we have one of the cameras set up in the winter beaver enclosure.
This enables staff to watch these busy and determined youngsters practicing their skills at building dams and generally challenging the capability of staff who clean out their pool. Much of this activity takes place at night, so it is a real boon to be able to watch them at work from the remote monitor inside the adjacent house.
We are excited about the prospect of sharing what goes on behind the scenes with this new technology, and look forward to welcoming visitors again on Wednesdays and Sundays beginning on the May 24 weekend.
(These weekly articles are contributed by staff at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary rehabilitates orphaned and injured wildlife with a mandate to educate the public towards a better understanding of local fauna.)