Last night was more work than anyone wanted it to be. I think the only solution is to post a ridiculous beaver headline from the daily mail. You know what they say. Before elections, chop wood carry water. After elections, chop wood carry water.

Furious beavers attack bush: Colony of animals chew down newly-planted shrubs and trees after their dams were destroyed as part of building work in Russia

Suburban beavers have taken revenge on local officials for destroying their dam by mauling new plants added along a river as part of regeneration works.

Their home was destroyed as part of a £5.7million rejuvenation program along the Yauza River near Moscow, according to the Moscow Times. A local resident Yelena Kirichok posted on Facebook that the family of seven were left ‘hungry and destitute’ by the renewal, according to the Moscow paper.

She wrote on Sunday that the the beavers stalked the river banks at night and ‘cut the trees that were planted there for show.’

Doesn’t that sound just like a beaver? Getting revenge by making a meal of your ornamentals? It had to be vengance right? I mean, what else would they need a bunch of newly planted trees for?

The Moscow Times quoted senior official Alexander Kogan as saying: ‘The animals won’t be harmed. The contractor has been warned, its equipment will avoid beaver lodges.’

He spoke out after concerned residents complained about the beavers’ treatment. The 7.5 mile stretch of the Yauza waterway is one section of nine regional water systems that will undergo £26.7m of cleaning and renewal.

Whoa. Now we have politicians trying to appear like they’re going to protect beavers in Russia? What? I recognize that desperate whiff of weasly self-justification in the face of public scrutiny! I had no idea the our two countries had so much in common!

Beavers are totally vegetarian and munch on shrubbery and grassy plants in the summer, while they prefer hardier, woody fodder in the winter.

Their destruction – known to biologists as coppicing – can actually bring great benefits to the environment as it helps produce new plants.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THE FLIPPIN’ DAILY MAIL WROTE THIS????? I am inclined to be very surprised but I really shouldn’t be. They are notorious for scrubbing stories off facebook or wherever they can cobble them together and running them as if they were news. I know because in 2012 they ran this.

Single father who gives more than a dam: Touching story of the beaver who’s bringing up babies on his own after death of his mate

As Father’s Day nears, one single dad is hard at working caring for his kits, giving them more than just a dam. Known as ‘Dad,’ the Martinez, California, beaver has been raising his three children on his own in the Alhambra Creek in California for more than a year.

Chronicled by Worth A Dam, this animal’s inspiring quest to teach his little darlings how to build dams, dive and forage for food began with a tragedy: the death of his mate.

Scouts honor, this story ran in 2012, pushing my youtube views up tp 60,000. The weird thing I never understood was that before running this story someone from the daily mail actually called my house – an unlisted number that is not given on this website. I never knew how they had it. Possibly from a press release I had given a distant affiliate for the festival, but obviously I didn’t send any to the Uk.

In the end I was happy enough to see the tale told, They ran a nice story full of quotes and photos from this website. And It was still soon enough after mom’s death that I was comforted by seeing it talked about and remembered.

After Mom died, Dad disappeared for three days. Ms Perryman heard the babies whining for food and comfort deep into the night. When they finally spotted dad after he was grieving, he appeared ‘a little looser in the skin, a little older.’