Photos: Cheryl Reynolds
All week we’ve been getting reports of a young otter hanging out at the beaver dam. Cheryl watched him monday morning, Jon watched him yesterday around noon, and I had to see for myself this morning. Unlike beavers, otters are carnivores who greatly enjoy the handy fish tanks beaver ponds provide. They are much sleeker and faster than beavers, and they never appear even for a moment to be resting or contemplative.
In this horrible grainy footage you see first the small otter’s head and the curve of his tail. Then the wide triangle of mom’s head as she comes out of the lodge to defend her space and look imposing, followed by the dart under the water of our little interloper. We will keep trying to get some better footage, but in the mean time you had better just wander down and see for yourself. Otters keep their own schedules and he will likely be seen for a while at all hours.
Want some other good news? Read this article on the Pennsylvania beavers. Looks like the Lawrence County Conservation Commission is going to use nonlethal methods instead of killing those “soldier beavers”.
They agreed to consider a water- flow-control device or “beaver baffler” suggested in a letter to commissioners from Laura Simon, field director, Urban Wildlife Program of the U.S. Humane Society in Woodbridge, Conn. Simon said the device would solve the problem of beaver dams’ causing flooding at the affected culvert along the bike trail, which is owned and maintained by the county. Commissioners also promised that whatever solution they choose will be humane.
Go Laura! And all of you who wrote! Looks like Mr Osbourn will not get any contracts this round. This was my favorite part. It is an almost verbatim quote from our city council.
“I have learned more about beavers in the last week than I have in my entire life,” commented DeBlasio.
Ahhh take a moment to savor that quote over coffee. Considering that Mr. DeBlasio very recently believed a man who told him that he was going to trap the “soldier beavers” and leave the “grandfathers”, I really, really believe that. Live and Learn.
