‘Justin Beaver’ chips 2 front teeth after falling

BOULDER – A young beaver – creatively named Justin Beaver – is recovering from his injuries after taking a tumble off of Boulder Falls on June 19.

According to Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Justin – who is a little over a year old – broke his upper front tooth down to the gum line and chipped his lower front tooth. He also had to get multiple stitches to repair the laceration on his head. He was brought into the facility by Boulder Park Ranger Dave Gustafson.

Gustafson says he found Justin just above Boulder Falls on State Highway 119.

 “I was driving on into work – happened to be on call that night – and saw him in a place that beavers don’t live,” Gustafson told 9NEWS. “He was trying to walk back up the canyon. There’s some beaver dams [near Nederland.]”

 Justin’s lower tooth will have to be shaved down to be at the same level as his other, undamaged lower tooth. If beaver teeth are misaligned, beavers cannot eat anymore and will die. His upper front tooth will have to be trimmed on occasion, but since they are still coming in, a more permanent solution won’t happen until the tooth is done growing.

Ow! Poor Justin. That’s a long fall. Good thing a rehabber was on hand to help, although I’m not sure how a beaver with shaved down teeth is a solution. Rodent teeth never stop growing. So that means he’s never going to be able to go back to the wild?

This article makes me think about our original mom beaver and her fatal broken tooth. I don’t think upper and lower incisors are supposed to ever meet but I guess the pair matching matters because she punctured her own palate which left her vulnerable to a host of infections. In the end she couldn’t even chew because her mouth hurt too much. I remember she let us nudge her easily into the carry crate. She rode in the back of my subaru to the Lindsay Wildlife hospital where they decided to euthanize because her injury was so severe.

It was five years ago almost to the day.

Mom

Honestly when I went down this morning I purposely decided not to bring a camera because I thought it would just be too sad, but I wish I had filmed it so you could all see how completely calm and unpanicked mom was. she just was in no condition to react, and if we had left her alone she was in such a visible part of the creek that people would have intervened and/or called animal control. This way she was completely protected by us and not at all agitated or frightened. It was almost like she knew we wouldn’t harm her, and it certainly felt right, after everything we have been through and all the mornings I have spent with mom to have her riding peacefully in my subaru. We will be out tonight to make sure the kits are feeding and happy. It was becoming clear that the family has already transitioned and the kits have been relying on the yearlings care more and more, which is just like we’d hope.

You would think after five years, a lovely new mom and 8 new kits, it wouldn’t make me cry anymore. Hmm.