An adopted baby beaver has become a social media sensation after stealing plungers and towels from his new owner to build his very own dams inside the house.
Orphaned baby beaver causes havoc by repeatedly making dams in owner's home
An adopted baby beaver has become a social media sensation after stealing plungers and towels from his new owner to build his very own dams inside the house.
Dubbed Beave, the cheeky rodent was found by a concerned member of the public in May 2020, who believed he had been orphaned as beaver kits are rarely found alone or away from their home.
They contacted Nancy Coyne, a licensed wildlife rehabber, who has since adopted the adorable creature and become his foster mum.
The 46-year-old living in New York City has fallen in love with Beave and his quirky personality including his habit of stealing household items for his DIY projects.
“Beaver kits are very, very vocal, so when the lady got out of the car with this box, I could hear the noises it was making and I said, ‘oh my goodness, that really is a beaver'," Coyne said.
“I opened the box and he was literally no bigger than a small potato with his little tail and I just was really dumbfounded.
“He was found on the side of the road by a woman.
His family was most likely killed by illegal trappers.
“I didn't really decide to rescue Beave as we just accept the animals that are brought to us.
As long as I have the facility for them, I don't say no to rehabbing an animal.
"I've previously had wild rabbits, baby fawns and I have horses." Coyne studied Beave's vocalisations and learned his posturing, and after a month of living together, he settled in and now runs to his new mum whenever he hears her voice or catches her scent.
The rodent has settled into a daily routine.
In the morning, he escapes through a door for dogs for a swim in the small pond by Coyne’s house, then he returns to eat, nap and start work on his latest dam.
Beave's favourite places to build his dams are doorways and he has made them at the front door, the bathroom and the bedroom.
The 46-year-old said: “Beave chooses many different objects to dam with – basically anything that's in his reach.
“He started using plungers because that was an easy object to grasp for him, although he doesn't discriminate on household objects and will pull just about anything to use.
“Beavers love to chew so he also chews on everything in the house.
“He is 9 months old now, he was bottle-fed for two months and eats kale, sweet potatoes, grapes, pears and lots of fruits and vegetables." The animal lover has started an Instagram account for Beave (@beaverbabyfurrylove), who has over 32,000 followers.
In one video, the beaver can be seen dragging one of his favourite household items, the plunger, to a dam that already includes various items such as different-sized logs and a towel.
Nancy will look after Beave until he is around 2 years old and able to live safely in the wild.
She added: “It has been a lot of fun having a beaver as a rehab but also a lot of work.
"Beavers are highly social animals, you have to have them close to you, you have to have them in your house and it is literally a two-year commitment that’s around-the-clock.
“Beavers need to learn a lot of different things that I had to teach him such as swimming, diving, wild food recognition, and swimming under the ice.
"I think he brings a smile to a lot of people during these difficult times."