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Beaver and muskrat rescued at Tempe Town Lake
Tempe park rangers rescued an exhausted beaver and muskrat from flooded waters. The pair is recovering at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.
TEMPE, Ariz. - Tempe Town Lake is currently closed due to flooding from the recent weather. On Tuesday, park rangers found some unique creatures in that water in need of rescue.
They pulled a beaver and a muskrat out of the lake. Those caring for the pair say the animals were exhausted and scared, but they hope both will make a full recovery.
What they're saying:
Staff at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in north Scottsdale never know what kind of creature is going to come through their doors.
"You kind of never know what your day is going to look like," said Dani Branchini, clinic manager at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center.
But Monday night, they got a call about some unusual patients at Tempe Town Lake.
"We got a call from the Tempe park rangers down there, and they had kept an eye on several beavers and several animals down in the lake area that possibly needed to be rescued," said Kim Carr, animal care manager at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center. "There was a lot of water coming down the Salt River, the Verde River ... just like a natural flood that washed some of the animals downstream and into Tempe Town Lake."
The park rangers had rescued the beaver and its tiny companion—which turned out to be a muskrat. While these animals may pass through surrounding waterways, Carr says they do not live in Tempe Town Lake.
Tempe park rangers pulled an exhausted beaver and muskrat from Tempe Town Lake after recent storms. Wildlife rehabilitators in north Scottsdale are caring for the pair.
Dig deeper:
"Beavers are in the other waterways. You just don't see them a lot," Carr said. "[Tempe Town Lake] is not an area where they would build a lodge and build a dam, because that's manmade concrete."
SWCC staff say both animals—especially the beaver—were in rough shape.
"Both of them were very exhausted, lethargic, not wanting to get up and move around," Branchini said.
They think well-meaning onlookers kept the beaver from getting the rest it needed to heal, so the medical team stepped in. And while they are not out of the woods yet, staff are providing care.
"The beaver does have aspiration pneumonia, which can happen when they intake a lot of water unexpectedly," Branchini said.
What's next:
Staff say they are cautiously optimistic the pair will heal so they can be released back into the wild.
"I think the big first hurdle is just getting that beaver to start eating," Carr said. "Wild animals are really resilient. And this beaver had a lot of chub on him, so that's good."
The group says the hope is always to rehabilitate and release animals they take in as soon as possible.
What you can do:
If you find an animal in need of help, you can call Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center's 24-hour emergency hotline at 480-433-5656, or you can click here for more information.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Dani Branchini, clinic manager at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center; Kim Carr, animal care manager at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center; and Tempe park rangers.