For the Anniversary of My Death
Every year without knowing it I have passed the day
W. S. Merwin
One of the first beaver stories that caught my eye was written by then editor of the Martinez Gazette Richard Parks in 2007. He was reporting on the life cycle of beavers and what Martinez could expect after his consultation with “beaver expert” Mary Tappel who was the original consultant the city turned to. His article quoted her warning that beaver populations explode because beavers can “Breed for 50 years”.
Novice that I was at the time this statement nevertheless caught my eye. Because it sounded unlikely that beavers could reproduce longer than humans. So I called the editor and asked “Is that a typo?” He was an earnest fellow and remembered specifically writing that down so he called her back to verify. She was so affronted to have her “facts” questioned that she decided to never appear before the beaver subcommittee and just whisper her vile opinions directly to staff but that is all blood under the bridge.
Of course we now know that a beaver is very, very lucky if it gets to breed for 10 years, and live to 15. There are reports of beavers in captivity living until 19 or 20, but in the wild we would think 12 years makes a beaver a senior citizen of his particular curious nation. I always try to calculate how old our beavers were. Dad was definitely the oldest. We know from research that the majority of beavers cannot reproduce before age 3, recently I remembered that when we first learned about the beavers the woman who told us about them said there were actually three and one was smaller – like what we now understand is a yearling. I never saw three beavers – but I believe her. That implies that mom and Dad moved here with a yearling in tow who later dispersed shortly after the new kits were born that summer when I started paying close attention. 3+1+1 – that means dad was at least 5 in 2007, which means he lived in Martinez until he was at least 13.
Not a bad run for a beaver. Certainly better than either of these stories this morning.
First wild beaver killed by car in England ‘was forced out of river by flash flood’
The first wild beaver reported to be run over and killed by a car in England may have been forced on to the roads by flash flooding. Experts believe the four year-old female ventured out of its natural habitat when water levels rose on the River Otter in East Devon last week.
She was part of a community of wild beavers which was first spotted in 2013 – at a time when they were thought to have been extinct for 400 years. The mammals are touted as a secret weapon in the battle against climate change because their dams can act as a natural flood defence.
Being hit by a car is certainly a very common way for a beaver to end its life. There is almost nothing I feel more hopeless about than a beaver on the road trying to reach a body of water on the other side. They lack the eyesight, speed and logic they need to become ‘streetwise’. They always loose.
This story this morning was worse though. West Kelwona is in British Columbia about 200 miles east of Vancouver.
Conservation Officers still hoping to locate suffering beaver
Okanagan residents are still waiting for a conclusion behind a potential case of animal cruelty. A $2,500 reward has been offered for any information that leads to the conviction of the person(s) responsible for shooting a beaver with multiple arrows.
The animal was found suffering near the shore adjacent to the West Kelowna Yacht club last week. Local Conservation Officers say they have heard no reports as to whether the animal is dead or alive and are encouraging the public to keep an eye out.
Of course there are multiple photos of the unlucky beaver stuck with an arrow which I at least have the decency not to show you. A beaver with a 12 inch arrow sticking out of his side cannot even go back home to heal, since the passage hole into the lodge is much too small for that. I am writing the psychological profile in
my head of the young sociopath who did this (white male under 25 using own bow and his father’s boat) .
Never ever leave me alone in a room with him.
Which just goes to say that when people feel sorry for our beavers dealing with all the trash or the homeless or such a small urban creek, they are ignoring the fact that a great many beavers have it much, much worse.
Martinez was the lap of luxury.
