NEW YORK, Feb. 23 North American beavers have returned to New York City for the first time since the animals left the region about 200 years ago.
Biologists said the beaver's return to New York is a testament to both the adaptability of the animals and the success of the cleanup effort at the Bronx River, where the animal's habitat was discovered, The New York Times reported Friday.
Multiple beaver sightings were reported in fall 2006, but biologists said the reports were written off as native muskrats confused for the similarly-sized mammals.
However, a group of biologists investigating the claims discovered evidence of a beaver settlement, including gnawed tree stumps and a 12-foot-wide mound of twigs and mud.
Dietland Muller-Schwarze, a beaver expert at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, said it was only a matter of time before beavers returned to New York.
It had to happen because beaver populations are expanding and their habitats are shrinking, he said. We are probably going to see more of them in the future.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
