[JACK AYLMER]
BUSY BEAVERS ARE BEING CREDITED WITH SAVING CZECH TAXPAYERS MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS BY DOING WHAT THEY DO BEST– BUILDING DAMS.
THE RODENT-BUILT STRUCTURES FLOODED A PROTECTED FORMER ARMY TRAINING SITE WHERE A ROUGHLY ONE-POINTED-TWO MILLION DOLLAR DAM PROJECT STALLED SINCE 2018 OVER LAND NEGOTIATIONS WAS PLANNED, ACCORDING TO THE NATURE CONSERVATION AGENCY THIS WEEK.
OFFICIALS WITH AGENCY HAD HOPED TO BUILD THE BARRIER TO PROTECT A RIVER SOUTH OF PRAGUE AND ITS POPULATION OF CRITICALLY ENDANGERED CRAYFISH FROM SEDIMENT AND ACIDIC WATER FROM A PAIR OF NEARBY PONDS.
NOW THEY DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BUILDING IT BECAUSE AS OFFICIALS PUT IT, “NATURE TOOK ITS COURSE” AS EAGER BEAVERS CREATED AN IDEAL WETLAND ENVIRONMENT “PRACTICALLY OVERNIGHT” WHERE THE REVITALIZATION PROJECT WAS PLANNED.
OFFICIALS ALSO NOTE WHILE THE DAMS PROTECT ENDANGERED CRAYFISH, THEY ALSO PROTECT NEARBY FARMLAND FROM FLOODING AS WELL.
CONSERVATION OFFICIALS SAY THE WETLAND IS COMPLETE WITH “POOLS AND CANALS” AND COVERS NEARLY FIVE ACRES, WHICH IS “ROUGHLY TWICE” AS BIG AS THE AREA OFFICIALS HAD PLANNED.
SO FAR, THE CHISELED-TOOTH RODENTS HAVE BUILT AT LEAST FOUR DAMS IN THE GULLEY AND ARE BUILDING EVEN MORE.
OFFICIALS SAY BEAVERS BUILD DAMS BY PILING STONES ACROSS A RIVER OR STREAM, PACKING THEM WITH MUD AND REPEATING THE PROCESS TO CREATE A POND, WHICH EXPANDS INTO A WETLAND.
BEAVERS BUILD THE DAMS FOR THEIR OWN PROTECTION FROM PREDATORS.
WHILE THEY’RE SKILLED SWIMMERS, BEAVERS CAN WEIGH UP TO 80 POUNDS AND ARE EASY PREY FOR BEARS, WOLVES AND MOUNTAIN LIONS ON LAND.
AN ECOLOGY PROFESSOR CALLED THEM “BASICALLY A BIG CHICKEN NUGGET FOR PREDATORS.”
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