Roanoke – A female beaver, now about two years old, was released back into a Roanoke pond by the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center this week.
Rescuers first found her as a kit. She spent her first year of life at the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center before moving to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke.
Because beaver kits typically stay with their parents for roughly two years, wildlife rehabilitators keep them in their care for the same length of time to mirror that natural process. Beavers are very social animals that need to be with others to thrive.
Wildlife experts say raising a beaver is a bit more complicated than many of our other native mammals; not only do they require a semi-aquatic setup, but they also need long-term care! In the wild, baby beavers spend a full two years with their mother before venturing off on their own. Young beavers are also social animals and fare much better if they are raised in a group,
During the beavers stay at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, she also spent time with two younger beaver kits.
Staff at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center took the beaver to a pond at an undisclosed location in Roanoke on Thursday to be released.
She was shy at first, but quickly took to the water. She is expected to live out her days back in the wild.