Beaver drowning

[trappnman]

Was talking to a couple of trappers that know their stuff at PA, and found that something I have come ot bleeive in, thwey had never expreienced.

And thats beaver drowning in flood waters. After severe floods, I have several times found dead beaver in driftpiles, or washed ashore.

Waso nce i na real flash flood one spring, where the water immedialtey came up fast and right NOW. Never saw anything like it. After the flood, the landowner found several beaver, and this just comfirmed, to me, what I had observed.

My conclusion was that the flood waters (these are small bank streams with dens) came up so fast, and flooded the dens, even the upper parts, and when the beaver came out of the dens, they were swept away in the fast flood waters.

I've observed this 5-6 times over the years. In the big Rochester flood of 30 years ago, I lived right by Bear Creek (where 7 people were drowned) and after the waters receded, found 4-5 beaver and a bunch of rats, all, I assumed, drowned in the flood.

Am I drawing a false conclusion here? If so, what other explanation is there?

Comments, please.

[dj88ryr]

You would think with a beaver's ability to swim, that they couldn't drown, even in fast water, but what other explanation could there be?

[rk660]

Maybe some high water beaver hunter went out when beaver are flooded out and up in brushpiles, and didnt know what he was doing. (shooting easy, recovery, and art. ) ;D

[trappnman]

for sure, non were shot......

[musher]

I've heard about that happening to 'rats. if there is ice involved it is worse.

I've never heard about it occuring to beaver - even with ice.

Disease? Could they have been brained by debris?

Technically, beaver do not drown as they do not take water into their lungs. Instead they die of oxygen depravation. (Aren't I the wise one... ;D)

[trappnman]

Not disease, I don't think. Trapped a couple out of the flash flood place the day of it, and they looked fine, as far as eye could tell.

Could well have been debris or being caught under something.

I just think the water comes so fast and with such force in such a narrow channel, that they just get tumbled around and disorientated, whatever...but bottom line..die.

[mmwb (Andrew Parker)]

Any mammal can drown, including whales. If I remember from my EMT training hundreds of years ago, many drown victims have less than a teaspoon of water in the lungs. Gulping for air they swallow water until the stomach is so distended that the diaphragm is restricted and they can't breath. I could see an animal in a turret, being swept and tumbled for miles in a river, trying to get air but swallowing water instead. I don't know that beaver ever breath through their mouthes though. Steve, I assume all of those dead beaver where bloated when you came across them, but would be curious if it were intestinal/stomach gas or water bloating them. Go ahead and cut one open and see next time! ;D

[BK]

I don't doubt you at all Steve, sometimes the truth can be stranger than fiction but I don't think I can buy into anything other than perhaps kits drowned.
For sure a beaver could make it out of the den easy,.......once out the current could sweep them down stream till they would crawl out someplace.
I don't see the current holding them under long enough to drown.
I don't have the answerer to this one.

[rk660]

they probibly dont drown per se, but worn out, exuasted in current, low on food, weakened condition and finally kick the bucket. they say beaver cant "drowned" as they never let water into their lungs, but tip over from lack of oxygen in blood.

[trappnman]

that makes sense.

[scott kimball]

steve just my thought but just maybe when the water rises so fast that the beaver in a panic can't find the den entrance and when he finally does he is so exhausted that the death is heart attack from pure exhaustion.


kind of like being in a full blown fire and cant find the exit.FFT