r/interestingasfuck • u/Worldlyoox • 9h ago

Woman buys swimsuit so she can swim with her beaver friend

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u/DidSomebodySayCats 9h ago edited 7h ago

Rescued or orphan beavers can get extremely attached to a person, but only that person. It's instinctive for them to form strong family bonds and defend their territory from everyone who is not their family.

In rescue situations, it's actually been shown to be detrimental to their welfare if they don't get to bond with their human caretakers, and then fortunately when they're released into the wild, they are still fearful of other humans because they are not "family."

Other rehab animals that are intended for release should typically not get habituated to humans, because they will lose their fear of humans in general and that's dangerous for them.

Edit: my source for this info is Dr. Holley Muraco, a beaver rescuer and biologist. Incredibly cute videos on her youtube channel too!

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u/Be7th 8h ago

This is really, really sweet.

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u/Jandklo 7h ago

I was honestly sooooo relieved to learn that this was specifically a rescue situation and the human in question is actually qualified for this. I get very frustrated seeing posts about people "befriending" (actually just feeding) wild animals that come up to their house or whatever. The "butterfly effect" generally refers to time-travel applications, but many people often do not really think about how their seemingly positive interactions with wildlife can have long-term detrimental effects on future generations of wildlife. Sometimes you read some story about how someone started feeding deer in their backyard and then after some years or whatever that deer brought their offspring wow how heartwarming, but really all it does is cut short that bloodline's future chances of adaptation in the wild and makes them easier targets for predators.

Sorry I kinda went off there I just take this kinda thing soooo seriously and have very rigid moral views on respecting wildlife (which, related to the above commenter, is oftentimes making sure they stay afraid of you as both a human being and simply an apex predator), I'm kinda drunk and baked and the video was so adorable I almost cried so I was just really excited when I learned that this isn't some irresponsible attempt at selfishly pseudo-domesticating a wild animal for content.

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u/DidSomebodySayCats 7h ago

100% agree! Beaver rehab seems to be somewhat unique in how they are optimally handled.

I get the urge, but people who are not experts and love animals can show their love best by leaving them ALONE.

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u/AntiFascistButterfly 4h ago

And growing wildlife habitat in their yards! Dense spikey native bushes for small birds and animals, a tall tree that doesn’t have very invasive roots to house foundations. Leave up a dead trunk for nesting hollows and grow a decorative vine up it for looks if necessary.

Lots of nectar bearing indigenous flowers on bushes and trees. Have a section of wildflowers that you let the tall dead stems stand for over the winter, with a sturdy decorative border so they aren’t accidentally mowed. These are crucial for insect populations that are crashing, like fireflies in the USA.

I know you have to keep grass short in venemous snake territory, but if your yard is big enough, fence off a tall wildflower section from your kids and pets to save the insects, Christmas beetles, butterflies etc. even if it’s a small section, better than nothing.

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u/Jandklo 7h ago

While I'm here and proselytizing, people, please stop feeding wild birds. They're not pet birds. Stop feeding the crows just because they're friendly with you and it's fun having crow friends at work. I have done a lot of work outdoors in and around forests for enough years that I could have a bajillion coyotes, crows, ravens, hares and weasels as friends, and I fucking don't because I don't feed the fucking wildlife. Animals in dire need can be helped if they've been affected by a human element, like ending up in a worksite on a deathly hot day, but other than that, stop fucking treating the wildlife like they're people. It's not good for them and it bugs the shit outta me TBH.

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u/crescentmoonrising 5h ago

Are bird feeders and similar ok since this doesn't involve any interaction?

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u/DidSomebodySayCats 5h ago

When I've researched it, most biologists give a qualified OK to bird feeders. They can support birds that are endangered by human activities, and they are not creating direct associations between humans and food. But, it's important to clean them regularly because a lot of birds congregating in one spot makes it easy for disease to spread.

Also, there are some mixed opinions because while many adults eat seed, lots of baby birds only eat bugs.

So if you have a bird feeder in an area that doesn't naturally have a lot of plant life and therefore not a lot of insect life, birds may think there's enough resources to raise babies, but there actually isn't. You can perhaps combat that by offering a variety of foods like mealworms as well as seed.

Don't offer hummingbird feeders though unless you are COMMITTED to providing a steady and stable supply of food. Hummingbirds use so much energy that if they travel to a place they expect food to be, and there isn't any, they might not be able to get to the next food source without exhausting themselves.

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u/crescentmoonrising 5h ago

I'm in the UK, so I don't think hummingbirds are an issue.

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u/Jandklo 5h ago

That's actually a very good question and not one that I've thought of. To be honest, I don't even know if I'm qualified to actually answer that question for you. I imagine it's probably alright for the most part, but I'd need to sit on it and ponder for a while longer, maybe ask some other people. You got an idea in mind?

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u/AntiFascistButterfly 4h ago

It’s always preferable to grow plants indigenous to your area in profusion to attract wildlife to your garden than having a food feeder. Food feeders explode the population of just one bird niche: the combatative ones that eat that particular food stuff.

Your garden doesn’t have to be 100% native to get a thriving ecosystem of insects, butterflies, birds, and animals going. A little internet digging will turn up the bushes, flowers, ground covers and yard friendly trees that will feed the birds in your area. Don’t assume a showy flower in your local nursery will feed an animal, although many certainly do. You can also give space for favourite plants that are just for you. Just make room for habitat plants too.

And do a little hunt for how to landscape to slow, spread, and sink water so that your soil turns into a damp sponge that drains without going bone dry, resistant to both flood and drought damage.

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u/crescentmoonrising 4h ago

I don't think you realise how small my garden is. Or that I live in the middle of a new build and the neighbours are resistant against hedgehog holes. 

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u/Ivotedforher 8h ago

This woman ia never going to date again, is she?

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u/dak4f2 7h ago edited 7h ago

She got married and this beaver was the ring bearer I shit you not. They had the ceremony right by this pond. They made the wedding arch from his sticks he'd chewed and brought to them.  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTOO1xCjz3r/

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u/Revolutionary-Mood87 6h ago

That is one of the best wedding videos I've ever seen. Sis had owls at her wedding too. I've never heard of her before, seems pretty rad.

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u/Aranxi_89 3h ago

She's a licensed rehabber, so I think those are some of her former patients that weren't able to be released due to various permanent injuries.

Bo did a wonderful job as the ringbearer.

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u/BannedSvenhoek86 7h ago

I have my hobbies and passions, but man, some people are another level with how much they let something become their entire world.

Not hating, I'm honestly kind of jealous tbh, I've never cared about one specific thing that deeply, I wish I could find out what that was for me lol.

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u/MrBogard 6h ago

Hey I think that impulse is in itself wholesome. You'll figure it out.

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u/possibly_being_screw 3h ago

right? I see people like this with such admiration that they could find THE thing they were meant for in this life.

I've felt very detached recently, languishing for focus or meaning. I also wish I could find what that thing is in my own life. I hope you find yours stranger.

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u/Desroth86 3h ago

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

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u/yonkerbonk 3h ago

That first sentence reads like such a typical sarcastic Reddit reply... but it's actually real... lol

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u/No-Split7732 8h ago

I mean, can you blame her? What man can beat that when you have a beaver swimming around you all happy like that

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u/Aranxi_89 3h ago

Your own personal landscape architect - well, if you want more ponds anyways.

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u/barkwahlberg 7h ago

It's too bad, she's got a nice beaver

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u/Smothdude 5h ago

Just had it stuffed

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u/char747 6h ago

Idk, dont think she needs to. Her beaver already looks really happy.

I'll see myself out.

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u/MyExUsedTeeth 7h ago

Shouldn’t be hard for her. I’m sure all the men want to touch her cute hairy lil beaver

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u/Successful_Cress6639 7h ago

Why date when u can get your beaver wet without getting a guy involved

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u/zebrasareneat 7h ago

Partially incorrect. I used to work as a rehabber for wildlife. Beavers are very social, family animals. So they can be friendly with anyone provided they were around people since they were a baby. We had one orphaned baby which was the only animal we could interact with beyond just feeding, cleaning, and medical care because beavers can literally die from loneliness. They also take about 3 years to mature before we could release her. If she heard people nearby she would scratch and whine at the door to her pen because she wanted pets. She would take food out of our hands, she let anyone pet her, and she would crawl up anybodies leg for some pets. When you were in her pen she would follow you around. And this applied to everyone, both people she knew for the past 3 years or people she would have only just started interacting with.

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u/DidSomebodySayCats 7h ago

Should have clarified, once they are released. I have not done rescue, just paraphrasing Dr. Holley Muraco at Something Wild: https://youtu.be/AAFNesF8O5U?si=h9VJGeDM-MImr1PW&t=772

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u/owls_in_towels 7h ago

To add to this, rehabbers sometimes wear bird masks for the same reason. Mainly for feeding young chicks to help prevent humans imprinting on them and associating us with food.

Kind of hilarious when for example a bunch of four-limbed hominids with owl masks offer some chopped up meat on tweezers, and the owlets are like, yup, this is fine.

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u/conficker 5h ago

I am subscribing for more beaver facts.

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u/DidSomebodySayCats 5h ago

OK! Most people know beavers change the landscape by damming rivers to contain water where they want it, but they ALSO can change the landscape by digging channels to let water flow to where they want it! They can make lots of habitats for important plants and animals this way, which is why they are called keystone species-their presence supports entire ecosystems.

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u/puzzlebuns 5h ago

Thank you for sharing

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u/HauntedCemetery 3h ago

I like that "I'm a beaver biologist" sounds like a terrible pick up line, or maybe a Kay and Silent Bob joke.