An adult female beaver found struggling along the shoreline in North Saanich on March 29 has died after being taken to the BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) in Metchosin.
Siobhan Bibb and her husband spotted the beaver close to where Reay Creek meets the ocean around 3 p.m. on Saturday, noticing its distress.
"It was very unusual to see it in saltwater," Bibb said. "It was moving slowly along the shoreline, appearing to be listless and battered by waves."
Concerned for her well-being, the couple considered contacting Wild ARC. As Bibb attempted to take a clearer photo of the beaver to submit to the centre as proof, a local woman informed Bibb's husband that her friends were part of a rescue organization and had already contacted Wild ARC for assistance.
The woman expressed concern that the beaver may be suffering from saltwater poisoning. According to Bibb, the woman and her friends diligently watched over the beaver until Wild ARC staff arrived, ensuring its safety from potential disturbances like dogs.
Wildlife consultant Guy Monty explained it's not unusual to see beavers ending up in the ocean from creeks along the B.C coast, but mostly the juveniles.
"They typically stay with their families for an extended period; it's not unusual to see them naturally disperse from their natal ponds to find mates or establish their own colonies," he said.
Monty added that habitat destruction of their dams can also trigger this behaviour.
Wild ARC confirmed the beaver was showing signs of saltwater toxicity when she was brought to the facility late Saturday afternoon.
"She was very hypothermic and obviously quite dehydrated," said Andrea Wallace, manager for wild animal welfare. "Our team did what they could to stabilize her and set her up for the night to hopefully recover."
According to Wallace, Wild ARC chose humane euthanasia the next morning, because she was in critical condition and unresponsive to stimuli.
"She was in respiratory distress, and the only thing we could do was relieve her suffering," she said.
"It's not so much that it's in the water, it's if it's drinking the water or ingesting it in some way 鈥� that's when there's a problem," says Jenna Kuncewicz, senior wildlife supervisor at Critter Care Wildlife Society based in Langley.
Freshwater beavers (Castor canadensis) are adapted to lakes, rivers and wetlands, but they sometimes end up on the shorelines.
Kuncewicz reported that three beavers were rescued from saltwater in the Vancouver area of the Lower Mainland in recent weeks.
"Unfortunately, all of them did not make it," she said. "In this case, because it was not determined how long the beaver was in the ocean, it was clear from the symptoms observed by those who found her that she had consumed a lot of saltwater."
Lethargy, seizures and extremely high sodium levels will kill beavers; none will survive more than 24 hours.
This was the sole beaver transported to Wild ARC from the coast, and Wallace hopes it's the last.
