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Hurricane Irene and the Baby Beaver

peargrinpeargrin Registered Users Posts: 191 Major grins
edited September 1, 2011 in Wildlife
I found this baby beaver swimming around the swollen waters of the Millstone Lake in New Jersey two days after Hurricane Irene. The storm must have separated him from his family. It must have been quite an ordeal, but he was paddling around merrily, eating any greenery he could grab.

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Today I went back to the Millstone to find him by the shore, exhausted, hardly able to sit upright, trying to eat everything near him. Some fishermen told me that they had seen him struggling in the water for an hour before they were finally able to get him out. The little guy had fishing line wrapped around his neck eight times. It took a knife to cut it off. He was so exhausted, he was completely indifferent to all the people standing around him. We found some willow he liked very much, and we spent the evening watching over him and feeding him. We contacted a wildlife expert, who recommended that we leave him there as his family might still be nearby, and might find him. So we left him at dark, in a nest of willow branches, all hoping that he would survive just one more catastrophe in his life. Fingers crossed...

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    HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited September 1, 2011
    Excellent captures and good work getting that fishing line off of him. I have assisted wildlife folks on a couple of occasions in getting fishing lines off of pelicans and seen a number of birds injured or killed by discarded or lost lines. Got my fingers crossed for this little guy.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
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    FlyNavyFlyNavy Registered Users Posts: 1,350 Major grins
    edited September 1, 2011
    Great pics!!! Perhaps he will thank you by coming to your house in the middle of the night and gnawing down a big shade tree in your yard?
    http://jmledy.com/


    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003085685580
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    leilanimrleilanimr Registered Users Posts: 200 Major grins
    edited September 1, 2011
    Terrific captures! And Kudos to you for stopping to help a creature in distress. thumb.gif
    Leilani M Ramsey
    http://leilanimr.smugmug.com
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    peargrinpeargrin Registered Users Posts: 191 Major grins
    edited September 1, 2011
    Harry, thanks so much for your kind words and good wishes! I can imagine with your experience you've seen your share of this kind of situation. These creatures really do get into one's heart!

    Hi FlyNavy! I'm in the woods, so if he makes it, he's welcome to a couple! :D. (love the lab video!)

    Leilani, very kind of you...thanks so much!
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