One of the coolest things about nature is that beavers build dams. Animals have a unique and strong instinct to gather and stack tree branches, rocks, grass, and mud across a river so they can build their homes underwater.
It seems to be so strong that beavers will use whatever they can find to build dams anywhere, even inside a person’s house.
The director of research at the Mississippi Aquarium, Dr. Holley Muraco, shared a video of a female beaver named Sawyer busy gathering stuffed animals, blankets, Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, and other things to build a dam in a hallway, and it’s the cutest thing ever.
Sawyer sometimes stops to look at her work, which is cute. And SpongeBob SquarePants’ legs are always giving her trouble.
Don’t worry about seeing this kind of natural animal behavior in a place that isn’t natural. Muraco says that Sawyer spends most of her time with other beavers outside, but she also likes to come into the house sometimes. Below is more about Sawyer’s life, but first, look at how cute she is at work:
Sawyer is one of three orphaned beavers that Muraco is helping to care for at her home with the help of Woodside Wildlife Rescue.
Sawyer, Huck, and Finn. Perfection.
Muraco says that when Sawyer was a small puppy, she started building dams in her kennel. Later, she built bigger dams in the hallway. She lives outside with Huck and Finn, but when she needs to go inside to check on things or build a new dam, she walks to Muraco’s back door.
Muraco says that beavers are very social animals that do better in groups. However, they are also one of the hardest animals to rehabilitate. They have to stay with rehabbers for up to two years, which is about how long they would stay with their parents in the wild. Taking care of them is hard because they have complicated digestive needs. They also get sick a lot, and there is still a lot we don’t know about how to care for them at the vet. Muraco says that beavers are also considered a nuisance animal, especially in Mississippi, so it can be hard to find a safe place to let them go.
Sawyer, Huck, and Finn have a lot of chances to act in ways that come naturally while in Muraco’s care. This is an important part of their recovery. The end goal is for them to be able to go back into the wild when they reach certain milestones.
It takes a lot of work to raise beavers, but Muraco is committed to getting these young ones ready for life after rehab, both for their own good and for the good of the environment. “Beavers are a keystone species and are often critical for healthy wetlands,” . People sometimes kill them because they don’t understand them and see them as a nuisance. This is one reason why Muraco tells Sawyer, Huck, and Finn about her adventures in public.
She says, “We are so excited that people are enjoying watching the beavers and falling in love with this unusual, quirky rodent.”
If you want to help save these beavers, Muraco suggests that you give money to Woodside Wildlife Rescue.