Rebecca Dmytryk; Lelee Hamilton

Do you remember this magical night? His artwork ran in Bay Nature and was featured in our 2010 silent auction. This is Jack Laws sketching our famous Martinez beavers from the bank in 2010. He is a much sought after speaker and teacher and the creator of several wildlife identification books. Well, he’s coming back this week and he’s bringing friends!

The beavers of central Martinez are raising a family! Come see those cute little kits and sketch the whole dam family. Bring your plate and spoon and something to share for a dinner potluck. If you just got off work and did not have time to prepare something, come anyway. The best beaver watching starts at 6:30. Before prime beaver time starts, I will do a little beaver sketching demonstration.

Meet at the little community park at the corner of Alhambra Avenue and Marina Vista Avenue. If you are using a GPS, try 460 Alhambra Avenue. I am bringing the whole family so we will need to leave around 7:30 to put the girls to bed but the beavers will be doing their thing until it is too dark to sketch.

Looking forward to lots and lots of these.

You can bet Worth A Dam will be there, making sure everyone knows what they’re seeing from their front seat at beaver central! Thanks Jack!

Now here’s an update on our famous San Jose beaver rescue. I can’t embed the video but click on the photo and you won’t be disappointed. I promise.

And just because we need to remember that even when there are really, really good things both North and South of us, there is still PLENTY of Beaver Stupid out there.

Fishercat? Capybara? Mysterious animal attacks man’s dogs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —An unknown creature attacked a man’s dogs in his backyard, leaving him worried the animal could return to cause more harm. The showdown between the creature and the man’s two Rottweilers was a few weeks ago, but the creature that injured the man’s dogs remains a mystery.

“It would spit at you white spit and I tried to make it where it could get out of my yard, but it was territorial. Once it was in my yard, it wasn’t leaving my yard,” said homeowner David Juvrud. Juvrud said he was forced to shoot it after the 28-pound creature got the best of his two Rottweilers, leaving one of them with injuries.

Juvrud originally thought it was a beaver because some fish from his pond have been missing since the confrontation.

Juvrud thinks beavers eat fish and the news crew doesn’t know any better. More impressively than this feat of evolution, the dangerous fish-eating beaver savagely attacked his two helpless rottweilers.

Hmm, I’m reminded of a recent high profile legal trial.

Last night they trapped ‘momma’ beaver with solme netting and cut the restrictive strap off her waist. I just talked to Leslee Hamilton of the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. She was the ‘lookout’ and there were several others on the team headed by Rebecca Dmytryk of Wildlife Emergency Services in Moss Landing. Rounding out the team were 5 volunteers from Happy Hollow Zoo including one vet tech. Imagine them all, dressed in black, crouching on the bank in silent readiness.

7-16-13 Beaver Rescue-Beaver cornered with boards — Momma beaver netted – Photo Greg Kerekes

Momma beaver came early and very obligingly walked onto the bank in their wall of netting and into just the right position to catch her and cut the strap free immediately. She was moved to a dog carrier and taken to a San Jose wildlife center for quick check up. Everyone did their jobs so well she was back in the water at the same exact spot by 10:00 that night and then the team went out for drinks to celebrate! What an excellent bit of beaver rescue and I’m so happy that everyone came together to do the right thing. Channel 5 filmed the whole thing but it isn’t on line yet.

7-16-13 Beaver Rescue-Just cut the plastic strap — Cutting the strap – Photo Greg Kerekes

Congratulations team beaver! If you want to say ‘thank you’ for all their hard work, you can offer a donation to WES here and don’t forget to mention the beavers!

Beaver Rescue! 7-16-2013

Mama Beaver has been Rescued! Thank you to all who helped out: Wildlife Emergency Services from Moss Landing, City of San Jose Park Rangers, Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, Urban Wildlife Research Project, Happy Hallow Zoo Staff, Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, Worth A Dam Martin.ez, and to family and friends who volunteered. What a great colaboration!!!!! After 9 days of attempting to trap the Beaver, last night we ditched the trapping method and used a series of nets. Once Mama Beaver was on the river bank we pulled up a screen net behind her. Volunteers went in with 3 large hand nets and secured Mama Beaver to the ground. The plastic strap was quickly located and removed, she was then crated and taken to Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley for a check up. The Center examined her and found no wounds so with in the hour she was released back in to the water at Beavertown 🙂 Videos coming soon! Champagne all around tonight

Which will be perfect, because guess where I’ll be tonight? Safari West has invited me to come up and be there guest and talk beavers to visiting families! Tent cabin and dinner on them with me talking to families after dinner and taking their incredible tour the next day. Jon will be coming with me and Cheryl is being kind enough to watch our own Wild Animal while we’re gone. Of course I had to make a new graphic for the occasion. Safari West has been so generous to us since I found the courage to ask for a donation. If you’ve never been you really should plan a visit, and bring your check book to the silent auction at the beaver festival!