Beavers to the rescue! Rodents aid Bragg Creek man's landscaping project
When a man living near Bragg Creek needed help tackling a major landscaping project, he knew the perfect architects for the job were members of a local colony.
Pierre Bolduc knew he wanted a team for whom building and designing was second nature and he found them beneath a pile of frozen wood and mud.
Bolduc bought land in the area west of Calgary about 16 years ago and immediately discovered the well on the property wasn't doing an adequate job.
"There (were) a lot of occasions (where) we would run out of water and my wife would be rather upset," said Bolduc. "We would have to wait until the aquifer replenished the ground close to the well in order for us to be able to have some drinking water."
A creek ran through the property and Bolduc wrongly assumed he could build a capable dam to retain water on his land.
"The first rain came and the little dam is that I had set up for a foot (high) totally collapsed. So obviously I was not the right person to conduct such a construction so I have to get the professionals.
"And the professionals definitely are the beavers."
In a near perfect marriage of headaches, Bolduc's neighbour had an uninvited colony of beavers that he considered a nuisance and Bolduc welcomed the rodents to his side of the property line with open arms.
The beavers soon constructed a lodge that not only ensured the well never ran dry, but created a large pond in Bolduc's backyard.
"It increased the water table by six to eight feet, solved my problem with the well, no more upset wife which is fantastic," Bolduc told CTV News. "At the end, it was a wonderful place for the kids and I to come skating."
It's not just the neighbours that enjoy the new pond, so does the wildlife. Moose and bears have been spotted in the water, occasionally at the same time.
Undated image of a bear and a moose in the beaver-created pond on Pierre Bolduc's property near Bragg Creek. (supplied)
The descendants of the Bolducs' initial semiquatic tenants are thriving at their adopted home.
"They've become grandparents and flourished," explained Bolduc. "At one point I had approximately 12 beavers, which is unheard of. I was able to count them in a video with a drone and I couldn't believe how prolific they were."
The beaver numbers on the property are so strong that some of the animals have since migrated and built homes downstream.
With files from CTV News' Chris Epp.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'There is no electricity': Canadian travellers in Cuba urge caution in hurricane's wake
Cuba's power grid was knocked out by Hurricane Rafael, which ripped across the country as a Category 3 storm. In western Cuba, it toppled buildings and pushed 50,000 people to find shelter elsewhere. Cubans were already enduring rolling blackouts due to energy shortages.
Sparks fly as MPs question minister on pension implications of proposed election date change
Sparks flew at a parliamentary committee Thursday as MPs questioned Canada's democratic institutions minister about a widely opposed provision in electoral reform legislation that seeks to delay the next fixed election date by one week.
Three charged in One Direction singer Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine authorities said on Thursday.
RCMP already 'on high alert' for potential wave of migrants after Trump election
Canada's federal police force has been preparing for months on a contingency plan for a potential massive influx of migrants across the border following Trump's promise of 'mass deportations' of millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
America votes: How celebrities are reacting to Trump's decisive victory
Celebrities from Hulk Hogan to Ariana Grande are sharing their reactions to the U.S. election, which will see Donald Trump return to the White House.
Canadian arrested in Florida for allegedly possessing child sex abuse content
A 25-year-old Canadian man was arrested in Florida last weekend after police say he was caught with child sex abuse content.
3 Winnipeg police officers charged with breach of trust, theft
Three members of the Winnipeg Police Service have been charged with breach of trust, obstruction of justice and theft following a lengthy investigation
Biden delivers remarks following Trump's win
U.S. President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris.
Reporter accused of being Russian spy tells MPs they fell for disinformation
David Pugliese told the House of Commons security committee today he found it astonishing that none of the MPs on the committee challenged the allegations that he was a spy.