What would he do,
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears…
This was a touching article to come across on a rainy morning. The couple who found the dead beaver are so upset and worried he was poisoned. I sympathize but can’t help but wonder what they would have done in Martinez where all our kits and our yearling were found dead within a matter of days.
Beloved beaver that took up residence in Cambridge park found dead
A beaver that has been making its home in Churchill Park this winter, and was beloved by regular park goers, was found dead by a couple who was trying to catch a glimpse of the country’s national animal over the weekend.
Caroline Young and her husband were on a mission to see the Churchill Park beaver in its natural habitat after reading a previous CambridgeToday story.
On Jan. 8, the couple got packed up and hit the trails in an attempt to see one of Canada’s most revered animals in action.
When they got to the pond, they first saw the massive willow tree the beaver had nearly chewed through, then they made a horrible discovery; the beaver was lying dead in the stream.
“We walked around for about 15 minutes and couldn’t find him,” said Young. “We were just about to leave and we saw what we thought was a muskrat laying under some sticks.”
After turning over some of the foliage covering the animal, it was revealed to be the beaver. Having not seen any obvious signs of injury, they were questioning how it could have died.
“There were no bite marks in it or any signs of damage,” said Young. “We’re just hoping some crazy person didn’t get it into their mind that these animals were destroying anything and poisoned it.”
Well I understand the instinct. But it’s given all the time we spend obviously planning to kill beavers its unlikely that folks would bother with a stealth attack.
“It was just so sad to see it laying there,” she said. “When I discovered it my heart just sank.”
The City of Cambridge has confirmed to CambridgeToday that their team did go to the creek at Churchill Park on Monday and a deceased beaver was recovered.
“We have called animal services to remove the beaver,” said Micheal Hausser, director of infrastructure for the city. “From our observations, there is no obvious cause for the beaver’s death.”
The city had implemented measures to prevent the beaver from continuing to cut down the trees by wrapping the trunks of the larger trees in a wire mesh. Hausser said the animal did not pass away due to any act by the city or city staff.
When Young was recalling the situation she did notice that there were some carrots scattered on the banks of the creek, making her think the animal could have died of something other than natural causes.
“It almost looked like someone was trying to get them to eat the carrots, but I can’t be sure if that is what killed them,” she added.
Young feels for the people who have made it a habit to come and watch the beaver and the progress they make. She is hoping that if there was foul play involved that those who committed the act will be brought to justice.
Beaver do eat carrots. And it’s winter. Someone could also have wanted him to have an easier food source. If the beaver was really alone he was hanging on by a thread anyway. A lone beaver is a precarious beaver.
I’m glad you cared for him and felt something when he died. But honestly. Beavers die. Out of 29 in 10 years we had yearlings die from round worm parasite. We had a beaver that was blind. Over the years our first mother beaver broke a tooth and starved to death. It’s a terrible suspenseful thing watching over wild animals.
It’s a precious gift with many sharp edges.
Now because great sadness requires great cheer I am sharing this from our friend Kathy Rothman in Florida. Otters are obviously very cute. Everyone thinks so. Well, maybe not everyone.
