One of Kelowna’s urban beavers was given medical attention on Wednesday (April 5), after a pedestrian noticed that the critter appeared unwell.
The Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (IWRS) was contacted in the morning and told that a beaver at the downtown Rotary Park Marsh appeared to have an injury on their tail. The crew of wildlife rehabilitation volunteers immediately jumped into action and were able to trap the sick critter by the afternoon.
The beaver was safely captured brought to a local veterinarian for examination and care.
Eva Hartmann, founder of IWRS, and registered veterinarian technician, told Capital News that the beaver, who is female, had an abscess, which is an infection, on it’s tail. She said that the beaver has poor body condition and is quite thin, weighing only 16 kgs, which is between four and 10 kgs less than a healthy adult should weigh.
Hartman said that because the beaver was unwell and lethargic she was relatively easy to coax into a large metal cage for transportation.
The beaver, which the rehabilitation team is calling the Rotary Marsh beaver, was sedated and the abscess was drained. They were also given glucose injections, vitamins, fluids and pain medication.
Immediately after the procedure, the Rotary Marsh resident was given a tasty snack of carrot and sweet potato to help them perk up.
Beavers typically eat the layer of plant tissue that grows beneath the bark of trees, and prefer poplar and willow trees. To keep their newest patient well fed, Hartmann said that a member of the Wildlife Rehabilitation team will be out collecting twigs to feed the beaver
After waking up, the beaver was transported to the Interior Wildlife Rehab centre in Summerland where they will recover before hopefully being released back into the wild.
IWRS was founded in 2020 and became operational in June of 2022. The rehabilitation society is a non-profit organization that runs solely on donations and volunteer workers.
“We appreciate any help we get, we don’t get paid. All of the money goes to the animals,” said Hartmann.
On Friday April 7, IWRS is hosting their annual fundraiser event, the Wildlife Film Festival and Silent Auction at the Creekside Theatre in Lake Country.
Tickets are still available for the fundraising event. Donations are accepted online and the organization is searching for more volunteers.
For more information visit interiorwildlife.ca.
@Rangers_mom
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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