Yesterday was full beaver CSI day. With multiple CDFW scientists weighing in on the beaver with a hole in her tail and whether or not it was a bullet wound. At one point there was even discussion of whether the ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ of the possible bullet made sense with the wound. In the end I was informed that it was mostly likely damage from a radio tag that had ripped out and that in fact these had been used in California at various times.
Okay’ brace yourself for this, but Radio tags are affixed to the beavers tail after a hole is first made with a punch OR a power drill and provides researchers information about dispersal and habits. They generally occur higher up on the tail so the antenna has room to hang down, which one science officer said might have been why this one ripped out. It was remarkable to hear the wildlife biologist from FRESNO CDFW say that this had been done in California, because I didn’t know anyone in California thought beavers were worth studying certainly not anyone in Fresno!. But no one could say yet if it was currently or if it was happening where it was happening. They are looking into it and will let me know, Which would be very interesting indeed.
Because odds our our mother beaver in was an escapee. The missing piece!
Beaver supporters like us were all mortified to think of beavers living with holes in their tails or being drilled or punched even under sedation. At one point I heatedly observed that if researchers really wanted to know about where beavers go and what they do they should frickin’ WATCH them every day like we did in Martinez for 1o years. We recognized mother beaver by her tail markings. And they could too.
Vanessa Petro (who was very helpful all day and part of the DNA work in Oregon.) Has tagged many beavers over the years and knows what works and what the options were thought our recognizing mom by her tail was funny because sometimes when the researchers would ‘lose’ a tag through misplacement or accident they would still identify the beaver by the mark in its tail.
Well, of course they did. I thought and sent her this. Note the tail.
