Wildlife group rehabilitates, relocates beaver to maintain healthy eco-system

LETHBRIDGE -

To maintain a healthy ecosystem in the Beaver Mines area, Calgary Wildlife rehabilitated and released a two-year-old female beaver Monday morning.

"She was in the city of Calgary downtown and was injured and was brought to us by a member of the public," said Melanie Whalen, director of wildlife care and services for Calgary Wildlife.

"We rehabbed her because she couldn't go back to the location she was found.

"This beaver came to us an adult, which makes her an excellent candidate to be relocated and released here because she's developed skills to be on her own."

After 133 days in rehabilitation, Calgary Wildlife released the beaver into the Screwdriver Creek northwest of Beaver Mines.

"Having one back here is going be a tremendous boon to this creek," said Mike Judd, whose property the beaver was relocated to.

Judd says beavers haven't roamed the area for more than three decades.

"With climate change and drought conditions, often this creek doesn't make it down to the Castle River anymore, which is an important tributary," he said.

Without beavers, the area's water quality, fishery and bird life have suffered over the years, Judd says.

Whalen says the reintroduction of beavers could see dams built to create wetlands for other species, filter water and reduce erosion and flood risk.

"Beavers are a keystone species, so in terms of water recharging, water tables, they have a really positive effect on that," Whalen said.

"They help against drought, they help against forest fires and then they’re keystone species for other species like birds, moose and bats."

But relocating beavers doesn't come easy.

Laws in Alberta say you can't live trap nuisance beavers and move them to different areas in the province, to limit the spread of disease.

Whalen is hoping someday, those laws will be changed.

"There are programs being done in B.C. and in the western United States as well that are re-establishing beavers into the area using beavers that are considered nuisance animals, putting them through quarantine periods and then moving them," she said.

Judd says those living along the creek have been optimistic about the reintroduction of beavers to the area.

"Of course, there are some concerns about the trees and damming up culverts and so on but nowadays, there's a lot of new technology to deal with those issues and we’re very hopeful this is going to be a win-win for us," Judd said.

Whalen expects the beaver to adapt to the new area fairly quickly, with a goal to introduce her to a male to begin the mating process.

"It's really easy for us to take away pieces of the natural world and it's very hard to bring them back. We're learning this all the time,” Judd said.

"So, the idea that we can restore nature, to me, is very encouraging to see."

Calgary Wildlife says residents can take non-invasive steps to co-exist with beavers.

Whalen says wrapping trees and putting in pond levelling devices mitigates damage to property while allowing beavers to remain in the area.