N.C. Zoo's Beaver Relocation Effort Suffers Setback
ASHEBORO-An intensive effort that has included more than 10 months of staff research and hard work aimed at saving an indigenous beaver population at the North Carolina Zoo suffered a setback Wednesday night.
Three young beavers died and their mother was injured in an apparent attack by at least one other beaver during an effort to introduce the animals in a zoo holding facility. The surviving adult female was reported to have "a fairly good prognosis for recovery" by zoo veterinarians Wednesday afternoon.
All the beavers were part of an indigenous population that has been causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to trees and other plants and posing a threat to visitor safety at the state zoo for more than two years.
The adult female and three kits, estimated to be only a few months old, were captured in the Cypress Swamp Exhibit on May 14 as zoo staff began the process of trying to relocate the animals away from the park's exhibit areas.
Since their May capture, the first four beavers had been in holding facilities at the zoo's Hanes Veterinary Medical Center, where they were to undergo medical treatments for rabies and other diseases as well as become acclimated to captive diets. Plans were to transfer the beavers to a pond the zoo has fenced-in for the animals on the south end of the park.
On June 16, two more beavers were captured in live traps in the Cypress Swamp pond. Zoo officials believed the two animals, whose sexes have not been determined, to be part of the same beaver family captured in May.
For the past week, the first beaver group and the two new animals were housed in nearby, but separate, holding stalls. On Wednesday, both groups were given access to a communal stall between their two holding areas for the first time.
According to Zoo General Curator Ron Morris, constant observation by keepers on Wednesday indicated the animals were getting along well, enforcing the belief they were related. In fact, the kits were seen making repeated contact with the two newer beavers late Wednesday with no signs of aggression, Morris added. So the decision was made Wednesday evening to give all the animals access to the communal stall over night.
But when the medical center staff arrived early Thursday, the three youngest beavers were dead and the adult female had also suffered injuries.
The zoo has been working since last year to determine how to preserve up to 20 wild beavers while preventing them from further damaging the park. More than 2,000 trees have been lost or damaged, threatening facilities and the security of the zoo's animals, staff and visitors. A special task force representing various zoo divisions was formed and a plan was developed to live-capture at least one beaver colony, contracept and treat them against diseases, then relocate them to the enclosed pond.
"It's part of the risk of this kind of undertaking," Morris said, noting that very little is known about acclimating wild beavers to captive environments. "We do our best to reduce the risk and proceed as cautiously as possible, but always with the knowledge that something like this may be the outcome."
Morris said plans to relocate the beavers will be put on hold while the female recovers from her injuries and the staff tries to determine if her successful introduction to the other two animals is still possible.
"Every effort still will be made to preserve these animals," said Dr. David Jones, zoo director. "But I'm sure this will be a deep personal loss to our staff who have worked so hard on this project."
The zoo is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
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Contact Person: Rod Hackney, 336-879-7204
Date Posted: June 25, 1998
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