The Great Beaver Rescue of Aught-Seven

[fairyrune]

(No, this is not a dirty story. Keep reading.)

I stopped by Dred Moo this Sunday to say hi to Kathy and Dan, and Kathy said that she had something to show me. She took me through the back door on the empty side of the booth onto the back deck. Down by the edge of the pond was a big, fat, beaver. It was just lying there, not really moving at all. We couldn't see its tail because it was tucked under the rest of the beaver, so Kathy thought it might be a woodchuck. I have previous experience with castor canadensis, so I knew it was most definitely a beaver.

Since it wasn't moving, I was concerned for the poor rodent. Remembering an incident involving baby snapping turtles the previous weekend, I deduced that the best people to ask for help would be the bear/birds of prey folks.

Of course as I was hustling my butt over to the bears as quickly as I could, everyone AND THEIR MOM wanted roses. Eventually I made it over to Jay, who told me that he was stuck with the bears, and I needed to go talk to the people at Birds of Prey.

At Birds of Prey, the show was about to start. I couldn't find any of the people who Jay told me might be able to help, so I found Drew and Rocky. Drew said he would help, he would just have to put Rocky down. We went through backstage chessboard to the rear entrance of the parrot enclosure. Drew went to grab this teeny little parrot-catching net, at which point myself and another gentleman (whose name I did not catch) explained to him that while beavers are rodents, they are in fact quite large. Leather gloves wouldn't help either, since a beaver can chew through just about any type of wood without a second thought.

Off we went back to Dred Moo, Bubbles and Drew to the rescue! I took him through the back door. Now the poor beaver was lying on its back with all four legs in the air. For a second, I thought it had died while I was trying to find help, but then it rolled over onto its side. We could see its tail now.

There was some concern that the little beast might be rabid, since it still seemed completely unconcerned at our presence. Drew went around to get closer to the critter, in order to better assess its condition. As soon as he got within two feet of it, the beaver sat up, gave Drew the most offended look a beaver could possibly give a person, slipped into the pond, and swam off.

He was fine all along, the bastard! Drew said that he probably hangs out there pretty often, since there aren't alot of plants growing in that spot, and there's a little spiggot spraying water right next to it. It's a comfy little beaver bunk!

Now when anyone tries to tell you that there can't possibly be beavers at the faire, you can tell them that they are sadly mistaken.

Comments

[fairefifi.livejournal.com]

I saw same Beaver on Saturday!!!! He was an older one. Looked like he was gray around the face!!

[fairyrune]

Might be two beavers, then. I don't recall mine being gray at all.

He was very fat, though.

[woodchuck665.livejournal.com]

I should have went to see him, I'm glad he's okay. I do sometimes worry about the animals on the faire grounds. I saw a raccoon over by the FoF garden a few weeks ago in daylight. Not good.

[odogonefishin.livejournal.com]

fuzziness

[fairefifi.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm....Damned if I know!! Get it??!! Damned???!! :D

[fairyrune]

BAD PUN!!!! ;P

[fairyrune]

Drew and I thought he might have been up late at the cast party the night before, which was why he was so tired and lethargic.

I hope you stayed the fuck away from that 'coon. I hear they're being born with a genetic predisposition to rabies now.

Rich almost hit a bear on 17-A yesterday! Crazy, huh?

[fairyrune]

Cuuuuuute! Too bad they don't make good house pets. They have a tendency to re-arange your furniture.

[odogonefishin.livejournal.com]

especially the wooden dining room set...

[aries328.livejournal.com]

Leah and I saw the Beaver on Black Monday while we were paddling in the paddle boats...VERY LARGE beaver!! It made my day!!

[woodchuck665.livejournal.com]

That would make sense. I heard a lot of people we're dragging themselves on site. Why should he be any different? I heard too that there were a number of people doing the "walk of shame." Maybe that's why he was hiding. ;-)

Didn't go near it. And what do you mean by a genetic predisposition? They're more vunerable to it or they're actually born with it?

Not so much. They're common enough.

[madmage01.livejournal.com]

I loves me some beaver!

[fairefifi.livejournal.com]

:D

[fairyrune]

The story I read said that the beaver dismantled his family's couch in order to build a dam in the living room.

[fairyrune]

Beavers are the largest rodent in North America, and second only to the capyberra in the world.

[fairyrune]

I think that we just kept him up. "Damn kids and their music and beer!"

I think they're more vulnerable to it.

Yeah, but it was the middle of the day, and right near faire! It could've eated us!

[fairyrune]

Yes, we know.

[woodchuck665.livejournal.com]

Then he was just pissed he couldn't come. You all should have let him party. The rennies are only there a few weeks, he's at faire all year round!

Ick, so much for darwinism, you'd think over time they'd be less so.

Somehow I think the bear wouldn't be able to get in the car, unless he was hitchhiking and Rich picked him up, then he might. The bears we get around here are pretty harmless anyway, just don't get between them and their cubs...or a bird feeder.

[fairyrune]

Drew was like, "Maybe he got into one of the kegs, and he's hungover!"

You would think that, but you never can tell with viruses.

I was more concerned that the bear would have come on site to check out Missy and Babalooie type thing.

[woodchuck665.livejournal.com]

The bear probably lumbers through in the off season, but as long as faire is populated (even campground wise) he probably just stays away. Probably more afraid of you than you are of him.

[grigoricennui.livejournal.com]

Don't sweat the rabies. Beavers aren't nocturnal. They're SUPPOSED to be out during the day.

J.

[fairyrune]

Doesn't mean they can't get rabies.

[grigoricennui.livejournal.com]

LOL, of course they can get rabies... and distemper, and flu, and lots of other things. It's just not a high enough probability in this area that you can immediately assume it without the animal showing at least one symptom.

Being out during the day is not a symptom here. He was obviously just tired and shagged out following a prolonged chew. For which I am very glad, Rabies is a horrible disease.

J.

Maybe he was bit by a Brown Recluse. :)

[fairyrune]

I honestly never thought he had rabies, but better safe than sorry, you know? I did really think he was sick or injured, just because he was barely lifting his head.

Oh yes! It COULD have been a Brown Recluse bite! Or a bite of one of those highly poisonous dragon-lizards that I can't remember the name of right now.

[grigoricennui.livejournal.com]

A safe bug is a happy bug. I totally would have thought he was sick too, at least until I poked him with a spoon.

Komodo.

J.

"Pardon me, young man, but I am not a badger"

[fairyrune]

I'm just glad the little critter is ok, even though he did make me worry.

My brain kept giving me "kimono," but I knew that wasn't right. A kimono dragon would be pretty funny looking.

Badgers? We don't need no stinking badgers!

[grigoricennui.livejournal.com]

Kimono Dragon! LOL.

J.