Beavers Return to New York City Centuries After Eradication

The first beaver to return to New York City since colonial times when the dam-builders were hunted to extinction has been photographed and filmed at its lodge surrounded by gnawed tree stumps, a scientist said today.

Employees of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York discovered the beaver and its lodge on the Bronx River and named the animal after a local state congressman who has advocated for conserving the area.
Congressman Jose E. Serrano (D-Bronx) has helped secure $14.5 million in federal grants for the Bronx River's restoration in the past five years.

Beavers played a role in the founding of New York. Beaver skins were the colony's chief export and were used as currency.
Dutch traders shipped 7,246 beaver pelts back to the Netherlands when Manhattan was purchased from Native Americans in 1626.
The trade in the luxurious pelts climbed to 80,000 annually about 50 years later.

Hunting and trade in pelts led beavers to near extinction in the eastern United States by 1800 and near extinction nation-wide by 1930.
Beavers now have rebounded in much of their traditional range.


SOURCE:
LiveScience.com

This is a very cool thing to see happening.

Hopefully the beavers will continue to propogate and become
prosperous once again.


Comments, Opinions?

great, like we don't have enough problems with the land rats and the flying rats (pigeons), now we're going to have to contend with damn building rats too.

this city is goiing to the animals.

lots of things have been appearing here that haven't been here for ages. harbor seals for one. nice people too. I've been noticing it a lot of late but I'm sure it's seasonal and they'llb e gone by the summer.

[edit on 23-2-2007 by Crakeur]