Category: What’s killing beavers now?

More Theories

heidi08 What's killing beavers now? September 3, 2015

We received the toxicology report on the yearling yesterday, and it was equally as unhelpful as everything else we’ve learned so far. No disease, no toxins, no pesticides. No clues that might point us in the right direction at all.

We have run extended organophosphorous and carbamate compound screens. We have tried the GC/MS and LC/MS screens to see if we could pick up drugs or other possible compounds. All were negative. We tested for the metabolite of bromethalin and for strychnine, both of which were negative. There was no obvious inflammation or necrosis to indicate an infectious etiology. We have exhausted most of our tests. If you can think of anything else you would like to test for, let us know.

But there was a sentence that got me thinking.

We cannot rule out toxic plants that may have been ingested

Toxic plants? Toxic plants? What’s toxic to beavers? Only one plant that I can think of. And it’s been historically called ‘beaver poison’. It’s Cicuta douglasii or water hemlock. It’s the relative of the plant that killed socrates and is so lethal for mammals that wikipedia says

this plant has an enormous impact on animals. It is one of the first plants to come out in springtime, and has a very appealing odor.[3] As little as 0.2%-0.5% body weight for sheep, 0.1% body weight for cattle, 0.5% body weight for horses, and 0.3% body weight for swine can be lethal. Death can occur within fifteen minutes of ingesting this toxin. These characteristics, along with the fact that it grows in moist areas make it a very desirable, yet deadly, plant for grazing animals.

The plant closely resembles the water parsnip, a harmless common flower that I’ve observed over the years in our Alhambra Creek. (In fact when we picked up our original mom she was on the little spit by starbucks surrounded by what I assumed was parsnip. But I also vaguely wondered if it was hemlock, and if she knew she was going to die and sought it out on purpose.)

Water hemlock is NOT harmless. It is the most lethal plant we have in America. The plant is indigenious to North America and common in California streams. So it wouldn’t be unusual for it to be in our stream. Or for a hungry beaver kit to feed opportunistically on this easy sweet smelling plant. I’m sure adults would get more cautious and know to avoid it.

I also thought yesterday about the change in our habitat which has meant less ‘kit friendly’ food sources. (Over the years we have seen kits eat mostly blackberry branches, (easy to reach) which have gotten fewer and far between in the current habitat. Maybe from beaver browsing or deliberate city-laden pesticides or who knows?) The creek bank used to be draped in vines and now it isn’t.

What if our sweet kits turned towards another easy sweet smelling food source?

Here’s the flower, which you’ve all seen because it looks the same as so many others. And here’s the leaves which are uniquely serrated. This plant is lethal to humans to touch. So if you see it do NOT do anything other than let me know.

It would be a fairly reasonable theory if it showed up in our midst and the kits partook. that could explain what happened and why nothing else has been found. I talked with the pathologist and they’re interested.

The seeds are the most poisonous part, and apparently it goes to seed in late June early July. When happened to be when our kits died.

I guess it makes sense that young might eat it. But harder to explain about junior who should have known better. Still our habitat or the drought could have made it more available than before, and there’s no proof that he died of the same thing as the kits anyway, I guess.We just don’t know.

I’ve spoken with some plant experts to see if we can get this diagnosed for sure. In the mean time I know what I’ll be keeping an eye out for. You too. Look but DON’T TOUCH.

Thereupon Crito nodded to the boy who was standing near. The boy went out and stayed a long time, then came back with the man who was to administer the poison, which he brought with him in a cup ready for use. And when Socrates saw him, he said: “Well, my good man, you know about these things; what must I do?” “Nothing” he replied, “except drink the poison and walk about till your legs feel heavy; then lie down, and the poison will take effect of itself.”

Such was the end, Echecrates, of our friend, who was, as we may say, of all those of his time whom we have known, the best and wisest and most righteous man.

The Phaedro (Death of Socates)

Big news at Beaver Central

There’s no important beaver news this morning, but I have something VERY important to tell you. Two things actually. Earth shattering.

This is the newest photo take of the threatened piebald beaver in Winters posted on the new Putah Creek Wildlife Stewards facebook page. (Go LIKE them if you haven’t already). Just remember that we probably won’t ever see anything like this again. It was taken by local photographer Vance Tj Koski.

Isn’t that amazing? Seeing this I realize that losing his habitat is NOT that beaver’s biggest threat. His biggest danger is being trapped, because that is a very, very rare beaver pelt. I usually think that publicity saves beavers, but with our beaver dying lately I’ve begun to think that keeping beavers close isn’t always the best way to save them. Sometimes they’re better off taking they’re chances somewhere else. I said this to the defenders and they agree it’s complicated but feel that this beaver is likely to be threatened wherever he or she goes. Which is true. I’m honestly not sure what I would do.

I feel totally blessed that I ever got to see that photo though. Don’t you?

And the second important thing is of a more personal and less piebald nature. I completed my presentation for minor’s council training for the Contra Costa County Bar Association yesterday about establishing rapport with child clients. Now I’m completely and totally DONE with all my commitments.

No, really. Done.

For 11 months I was getting ready for various beaver talks or getting grants or planning the beaver festival, (or holding or recovering from the beaver festival), and then I had to submit reports to make sure we received our grants. Meanwhile the shrink side of my brain signed on for this talk because I knew it was after the festival and I’d have time, (and a topic near and dear to my heart) which I later found out the class was being video taped and being sold to the state bar so I wanted to make it good, (which it was) and yesterday it happened and now I’m totally and completely done.

Which makes Sunday August 30, 2015 the very first real day off I’ve had since last September. Usually the months WHIZ by but I am stunned that 29 days ago we held the beaver festival. I love September. Because the next festival is still as far away as it will ever be.

Here’s another gift from Rusty’s visit to the Napa beaver pond to celebrate. Chirping and mutual grooming by otters pups. Enjoy.

Desperate times – Desperate Measures

heidi08 What's killing beavers now? August 18, 2015

No new deaths, but we continue to know nothing. All we know is what it isn’t. Not disease. Not Infection. Not toxoplasmosis. Not antifreeze. Not any toxic we have looked at, and we’re running our of beaver tissue to look at. I had a long conversation with the vet at CDFW yesterday and discussed the possibility of maybe doing a blood sample of one of the living beavers but she was very clear that this would only be useful if we knew what we were looking for.

And we don’t.

She said it was not worth traumatizing a beaver for very little information. And I was so relieved. Jon and I hated the thought anyway. One thing she did say is that the recently recovered beaver had apple in its stomach with a store bought label on it, and did we think anyone was feeding them? Or deliberately poisoning them?

Feeding, yes. Poisoning, who knows? So all we can do for now is keep a very close eye out and ask folks not to feed. The people who care about our beavers will stop, and the people who keep feeding will become suspects I guess.

“And sore must be the storm”

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, What's killing beavers now? August 15, 2015

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Robert Frost

KTVU –

Yesterday we learned that the beaver body brought wednesday was too decomposed to provide any information on disease or tissue samples. To say this was devastating news was a vast understatement, because we were hoping that the small bright light of Junior’s death would be that he would point the way towards how to save the others.

But that apparently won’t be happening.

For a long while I dissolved into a puddle of panicked tears. If we couldn’t find out why the beavers were dying and we couldn’t stop it, then there was every reason to think we’d lose them all. Meanwhile there were numerous phone calls and messages saying this is terrible, or give us a quote, or I think “X” is killing them, always with the message that I should do something – DO SOMETHING – to stop this. Jon was treated to a dramatic Heidi breakdown when he said innocently that whatever I thought was best we would do.

BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!! I wailed.

I have listened to all the professionals that will talk to me, and called in everyone that I can think of. I have cc’d the feedback from the pathologist to everyone I can think of that might help, with more than a few hail-mary passes. Honestly, yesterday I was thinking, if our beavers are going to keep dying here, then we need to tear down the dam, rip out the flood wall so they can’t rebuild, stop them with a flotilla of boats and make them leave.

Somewhere they at least have a chance of being safe.

I eventually resigned myself to an advanced death patrol, thinking that if wednesday’s beaver was too decayed for information, we would have to get any other beaver that died to Davis more quickly. So I wrote the local supporters to get people to commit to looking up and down the creek every day. As of now we’re covered thru wednesday. So if you can help, drop me an email. We need all the help we can get.

Last night Dr. Travis Langcore of UCLA responded to one of my SOS’s with an article documenting toxoplasmosis as a cause of death in a young (5 month) beaver. He noted that “If you’ve got a lot of feral cats around the site, there will be a high burden of T. gondii oocysts, which cause it”. Which of course we do, and always have. The article discusses the fact that the cells didn’t show up in a normal autopsy and they had to be specially treated to be identified. Hmm. I sent this onto the vet and pathologist. Hopefully it will help. Hopefully something will.

Emily Dickinson said Hope is the thing with feathers. But of course readers of this website know better.

Hope is the stream with beavers

They form a dam with sticks

To catch the flow and water store

Where wildlife will mix

These survived a death decree

Endured a sheetpile wall

And triumphed when their mom was lost

So faith – in them – is all.

Yearling – Cheryl Reynolds

Oppositeville

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, City Reports, What's killing beavers now?, Who's blaming beavers now?, Who's saving beavers now? August 12, 2015

The folk who live in Backward Town

Are inside out and upside down.

Mary Hoberman

I was a little disoriented by this article from Brooks, Alberta – but then I tried to remember that the sun still rises in the east and gravity still works downwards. See if it has the same effect on you.

City in midst of beaver hunt

Officials are on the hunt for beaver in the Centennial City.

The pesky dam-building animals have been spotted throughout Brooks, including in Evergreen Park, Pleasant Park, 12th Street West and Prairie Meadows Close.

Beavers can be a nuisance to humans when developing and maintaining their habitat, may damage trees and excessive flooding.

City officials are quick to note however that beavers are not responsible for the stomach ailment “beaver fever” as this is actually giardiasis caused by the parasite Giardia lamblia. Giardiasis can be transmitted by drinking water that’s been contaminated by an infected person or animal.

If and when beavers are found on property, individual trees and shrubs vulnerable to beaver damage can be protected by wrapping the base with hardware cloth or galvanized metal fencing to a height of at least one metre.

Gardens, flower beds and groups of trees can also be fenced off with hardware cloth or galvanized metal fencing. Ensure the fence stands at least one metre above ground and half a metre below ground.

Wow, do you mean to tell me that just 2200 miles away there is an actual city that provides actual accurate information about beavers and tells residents they don’t cause beaver fever while advising them to wrap trees? I’m trying to wrap my head around this, but it keeps slipping out. Especially when I read that the loud beaver-killing voice comes from a social media wielding woman who apparently lives in town.

Now do you understand my confusion?

Recently resident Kathy Denis Rowland took to Facebook to voice her concern about beavers near Pleasant Park.

“There are two beavers in the creek on Pleasant Park Road. They are making a den somewhere in the creeks and have chewed on trees,” she said adding they are seen every night in Evergreen. Evergreen Park is also being destroyed by them.”

City officials note that Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials have been contacted and that city staff are in the midst of wiring area trees to prevent beavers from chewing on them.

“It is an ongoing issue we are trying to remedy,” said Surgenor.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all! Something like this comes along and thoroughly shakes your snow globe, as it were. I of course reached out to Kathy on FB, let’s see if we become besties real soon…

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In the meantime we have a VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY to celebrate, for the hardworking man who makes so many beaver things possible. Jon bravely puts up with my schemes, checks on the beavers every day and nobly has managed to maintain his english accent after 30 years in this country. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the champion that makes this possible!