Two years after a baby beaver was found injured on a golf course in Calgary, the little critter was released Friday from her temporary home at the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC).
The kit, which had an injury to its tail and fevers, was admitted to the centre in June 2017 after being found in a surprising location far away from its mother or father. It was about four- to six-weeks-old when it was found.
A second older beaver, which was admitted in June 2017, was also released on Friday.
“We got to release them back into the wild where they belong,” Holly Duval said. “They have finished their rehabilitation and they are ready to go back to the wild and have a very successful future we hope.”
Watch from July 2016: A baby beaver found orphaned at a Calgary-area golf course is recovering at the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation with some much-needed pool time.
The baby beaver was the subject of widespread attention shortly after arriving at the centre when a video of it recovering in a pool captured millions of views.
“All across the world, we got responses from Australia, from Indonesia, from all over and she clocked over 15-million views with that one video, so she’s had a huge group of people really rallying behind her and supporting her care,” Duval said.
Beaver buddies
According to Duval, beavers in care don’t typically get along, but these two have become furry friends in the year they’ve been at the centre together, first connecting through a chainlink fence.
“They are great now,” she said. “They have very much bonded with each other and they spend all their time together.
“They were definitely looking for each other once they were released. So we are hoping they will stay together.”
It’s hoped that once the female beaver reaches sexual maturity, the two may go on to have their own young and be partners in the wild together, Duval said.
She said officials are positive the beavers will do well despite the uncertainty that comes with these types of releases, adding that they were seen grooming in the water soon after heading out to explore their new home.
Watch from August 2017: A baby beaver found injured in Calgary in 2016 is on the road to recovery, and has even made a new friend.
The beavers’ new home will be on the Sandy Cross Conservation Area land, which is off-limits to the public.