Orphaned baby beaver saved from being ‘snack’ in downtown Dayton
That’s when Michael Enright and Grace Cochran of Five Rivers MetroParks conservation team rescued the stranded baby beaver from a river bank at RiverScape MetroPark in downtown Dayton.
“He was so small that he would have been an easy snack for a predator if we hadn’t helped him out,” said Enright, the conservation manager.
The tiny furball was taken to Brukner Nature Center Wildlife Rehab Unit to be cared for until he is old enough to be returned to the wild.
“We’re hoping he will grow,” Enright said.
I’m no rehabber but I’d like to think a wildlife rescue facility sets its goals a little higher?
I’m glad this little guy is going to rehab, it’s better than being tossed like a football or eaten by a coyote, but do you really think he’s orphaned? Or that Brukner Nature Center is going to keep him for 2 years? That’s how long it takes to learn what a beaver needs to know. More than likely they’ll give him a few more fundraising photo ops and then put him in a nice local zoo. The beaver trapping rates for Ohio are fairly staggering, and I bet there are lots of ‘orphans’ to go around.
Mind you the trapper that picked him up with huge eagle-talon proof leather gloves waited around a bit in broad daylight to see if the nocturnal parents came looking for him. He must be really knowledgeable about the habits of these animals. At least he understands they’re dangerous. You have to be really careful when handling them.
Good lord! Aren’t they afraid about being bitten by this terrible menace?
Don’t worry. They’re beavers. Not soccer players.
