Nature's Engineers

I don't have much direct experience with beavers, but I have read a lot about them over the years. I don't think that they're especially smart, most of what they do seems to be instinctive. I recently read about a guy who found an orphaned baby beaver and raised it as a pet. Whenever somebody would be running water in the bathroom with the door closed, this beaver would try to stuff towels or clothing under the bathroom door. It seemed unlikely that he was consciously trying to accomplish anything, he was probably responding instinctively to the sound of running water.

All beavers don't build dams you know, some of them dig holes in the bank of a river or lake and just live in them. Those citified beavers in Chicago were likely just after the branches of the trees they cut down. Beavers eat tree bark almost exclusively, preferring popple (aspen), with willow as a second choice. What they need their ponds for is to float tree branches to their lodges to store for winter consumption. They will use a natural pond or river if it's available, but if it isn't, they will build one. I suppose their pond gives them protection from some predators, but not minks or otters who can easily swim out to and raid beaver lodges. People who trap beavers routinely make "bonus" catches of otters, but I think they need to set smaller traps for the mink, which they will do if they see signs of mink activity around.

I don't think beavers really use their tails to slap mud on their dams or to fight off predators. If they sense danger they will slap their tails on the water to warn other beavers before diving for cover. I suppose that slap of the tail might confuse or intimidate a following predator to some extent, but it's mostly to warn the other beavers.

Beaver dams are valuable structures in wild areas, conserving water and providing habitat for other animals, but they can be a nuisance around farms or populated neighborhoods. Just demolishing the dam is ineffective because the beavers will rebuild it overnight. If you really don't want beaver dams around, you have to get rid of the beavers first and then demolish the dam. When beavers were scarce, conservation people used to live trap and relocate problem individuals, but anymore they usually just invite a private trapper to come in and clean them out. Trapping is hard work and, when fur prices fall below the break even level, landowners will sometimes pay a bounty to encourage trappers to stay on the job.

We used to have some beavers around Beaglesonia before it was Beaglesonia but, but by the time we bought our land, irate neighbors had pretty much exterminated them. All true sportsmen have respect for their quarry, and there is nothing grudging about it. Farmers who have to make a living off their land, not so much.