Choppa’s brief freedom might be coming to an end. But at least he’ll get outta that cage and in a real habitat it sounds like.
Chapa, the missing beaver, found in Arkansas River
Chapa, the missing beaver, has been found.
Now, caretaker Connie Storrie just has to figure out how to coax him back into captivity.
Storrie, who has coordinated the search and rescue effort for Chapa since Tuesday, said the beaver was seen in the Arkansas River around 8:45 a.m. Friday. He broke out of his enclosure at the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit in Central Riverside Park sometime Tuesday morning.
She is not disclosing where Chapa was found because she is still trying to coax him out of the water – extra gawkers may spook him, she said.
A photo that surfaced yesterday of a beaver near Marina Point Apartments, near 21st and Amidon, ended up being a different beaver. The tail on that beaver was too short and the fur too dark, Storrie said.
How does Storrie know this is the genuine Chapa? She said she called his name while searching the river on Friday and the beaver started swimming toward her.
As far as she can tell, Chapa is unharmed from his four days in the wild.
“I haven’t seen him close enough out of the water, but he does look good in the water,” she said.
Oh man, he was so close! But her concern is kind of endearing.
We’re trying to convince him that he wants to come home,” she said. “He’s still having fun, and he hasn’t run into any trouble yet.
“If I knew that he would be OK and maybe find a lady friend that could show him the ropes, then that would be great, but I don’t know if that would happen.”
He most likely will not return to Central Riverside Park, she said. She said she has an area where she can keep a close eye on his re-assimilation into beaver life until he will one day be released.
I was hoping he’d never be found, and it would turn into a kind of ‘spartacus moment’ for all the beavers in Kansas. I guess not.
Now we’re off to Coloma to talk about the relationship between beaver and trout. Wish beavers luck!
