England shouldn’t get all the fun with their ‘returning beaver stories.’ Other countries want their beavers too. Apparently they’re all the rage. Don’t believe me? Just ask the Telegraph.
Beavers are back in Italy after an absence of nearly 500 years as big mammals rebound in Europe
The species, which was once widespread across Europe, has been spotted in Italy’s northerly region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The animals are believed to have wandered over the border from neighbouring Austria or possibly Slovenia.
An adult beaver was filmed by a camera trap in a forest near Tarvisio, a town that lies in the triangle where Italy, Austria and Slovenia converge.
If Italy is a thigh-hi boot then Fruili-Venezia Giulia is as close to the crotch as you can get and still be in the country. It’s jutting up against the neighbors of Slovenia and Lichtenstein which I assume boast a healthy beaver population. Venice is in Giulia which makes sense that beavers would naturally want to visit a region so prone to flooding.
The reason beavers disappeared from Italy is simple – for hundreds of years they were trapped for their fur and also prized for their meat,” Paolo Molinari, a wildlife biologist working in the region, told The Telegraph.
Now wait a minute. Former Martinez city council member, beaver supporter and great grandson of the first sheriff in the city, the late Bill Wainwright once told me that he had some land in Italy where he lived half the year. Shortly after our own bruhaha with beavers some showed up on the vineyard and he was very surprised, That must have been way back in 2008. So this can’t really be all that new.
“We hope that in the spring they might form a breeding population. It’s very good news,” said Mr Molinari.
By felling trees with their sharp teeth and damming streams, beavers create ponds which benefit many other species, from amphibians and birds to fish and aquatic insects.
Their impact on the environment is being felt in Scotland, where beavers have been reintroduced after the species was driven to extinction in Britain in the 16th century.
The article goes on to say that Jackals (like a coyote but more related to the wolf) have also been spotted in the region. They conclude it’s been kind of a heyday for mammals.
Experts say the reappearance of beavers and golden jackals shows that the mountains and forests of the border region between Austria, Slovenia and Italy act are an important corridor for wildlife.
“We’re seeing lots of animals returning, including brown bears, wolves, lynx and otters,” said Mr Molinari, a member of the Italian Lynx Project, which aims to restore the lynx to its former range and to mitigate conflicts with farmers.
I like to think of Italian beavers eating grape vines for many years to come. I’m sure there will be some who aren’t happy to see them, but imagine how the birds and fish feel.
Finally! We’ll get something improved in our creeks around here!
