Weren’t those wonderful photos Rusty shared yesterday? I thought so too, and you probably wished he would share more this morning, but vacation’s over and you’re stuck with regular old me. It’s okay, I have some good news to share, though. Thanks Rusty! Then a thank you to our friends at Safari west who made another generous donation to our beaver festival this year. There was also a darling little girl who wanted to sit in the very front row because beavers were her favorite animal.
Smart kid.
This morning there’s nice beaver news from Ontario thanks to our good friend Donna DeBreuil of the Ottawa Carlson Wildlife Centre.
Carry on, wayward beaver: Our national animal visits Major’s Hill Park
A beaver walks into Major’s Hill Park. Is there anything more majestic? It was a tourist’s dream, this sight that visitors to Major’s Hill Park were treated to Thursday morning.
And this isn’t the first time a wayward beaver has wandered someplace it shouldn’t be in Ottawa. One ended up at a Lone Star restaurant (maybe it wanted some fajitas?).
Another ended up on Sparks Street, where it was rescued by two MPs from Cape Breton who herded it across Wellington Street and back into the Ottawa River.
“(Those MPs) knew what to do. Us Ontarians probably would have panicked and called in the military,” Donna DuBreuil, the founder of Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre, said.
Ahh it pays to have friends in high places! Thanks Donna for calling the right man for the job and getting this little guy back on his way.
Clearly, seeing beavers so far from home isn’t an irregular occurrence. In the case of this Major’s Hill Park beaver, its displacement isn’t even because of the recent floods.
“(Beavers) stay with the colony until they’re two years old, then … they’re shunted out. This is the time of year that’s happening because the female is having newborn kits,” DuBreuil said.
But not to worry; there’s a happy ending for this beaver. The National Capital Commission’s conservation team, headed by senior conservation officer Jason Pink, brought the fella to DuBreuil’s wildlife centre. There, they decided to release it on the west side of the Ottawa River, close to the Green Belt.
“There’s been a lot of criticism over the years about the city not responding humanely to wildlife issues,” she said. “Kudos to the NCC … (for changing) that.”
Hurray beaver finding safe waters! And hurray for helpers who know what to do. Time for the most Canadian photo you will ever see and one of my perennial favorites. Of course this little kit isn’t a disperser, but you get the idea.
And on the local front, our own Martinez beaver supporter April L. had her letter appear in the recent issue of ranger rick magazine and its a lovely reminder why children and beavers matter. Just in case any body still wondered.
