Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canadian Kindness: Ontario Woman Drives 400 Km To Help Ailing Beaver

The Canadian Press, 09 Dec, 2015 12:45 PM
    It was a quintessentially Canadian act of kindness.
     
    When an Ontario wildlife sanctuary put out an urgent call for someone to drive an ailing beaver to a specialized facility some 400 kilometres away, they found a volunteer within half an hour.
     
    Mary Herbert didn't have any prior plans to make the trek from Ottawa to Rosseau, Ont., but offered to give the rodent a ride on Wednesday simply because she's always liked Canada's national animal.
     
    "I just figured I could help them out," the Ottawa-area resident told The Canadian Press after arriving at her destination.
     
    "I looked at my husband and said 'I can do that, I'm free tomorrow.' I love animals. It's really nice to be able to help wildlife out. It's not an opportunity many get."
     
    Herbert had never volunteered for the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary before, but she did follow them on Facebook, which is how she saw their appeal for a "beaver taxi."
     
    "If I can save one beaver's life, that's a good thing," she said. "There's a beaver pond where I live and that's just part of the wildlife that I see, and I like. This fellow, it looks like he's been orphaned and he needed help."
     
    The beaver travelled in a crate which was covered with a blanket and kept on the back seat of Herbert's car.
     
    "He didn't say a word the whole way," Herbert said.
     
    The rodent — which has no name — was found on Friday in a yard in the Ottawa area by residents who called the sanctuary.
     
    "He was found unusually far from water," said sanctuary board member Heather Badenoch. "He was dehydrated, he was lethargic, he was disoriented."
     
    The beaver was warmed up and given immediate care at the sanctuary but his behaviour still wasn't normal, Badenoch said.
     
    A decision was made to transport the beaver to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the Muskoka region north of Toronto as quickly as possible so he could be examined by a vet.
     
    The beaver would also have the option of spending the winter at that sanctuary if required because of its indoor water enclosure.
     
    "The beaver is beyond what we have the facility for here," said Badenoch. "Once he was stabilized enough to be transported, we put out the call."
     
    The plea went out on social media channels, sparked the hashtag #beavertaxi, and caught Herbert's attention.
     
    The sanctuary has put out similar calls for "animal taxis" before, but Badenoch said the sheer volume of responses generated by the beaver's plight and the speed at which the call was answered made it stand out.
     
    "I think it was because it was a beaver," she said. "The joke was, it's the most Canadian thing to happen in Canada."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Canadian Islamic School Al Huda Shuts Doors Over Fear Of Backlash Following Allegations

    Canadian Islamic School Al Huda Shuts Doors Over Fear Of Backlash Following Allegations
    The Canadian branch of a controversial Islamic foundation suspended classes over safety concerns Tuesday following a report that four of its former students left Canada to join a terrorist group in Syria.

    Canadian Islamic School Al Huda Shuts Doors Over Fear Of Backlash Following Allegations

    Crown Didn't Give Wrongly Imprisoned B.C. Man Info On Another Suspect: Trial

    Crown Didn't Give Wrongly Imprisoned B.C. Man Info On Another Suspect: Trial
    Ivan Henry's lawyer has said in closing arguments that the Crown failed to disclose information about other suspects that would have been powerful to his defence in a 1983 trial.

    Crown Didn't Give Wrongly Imprisoned B.C. Man Info On Another Suspect: Trial

    B.C. Turbo Charges Tech Sector And Jobs Strategy With $100Million Venture Capital Fund

    B.C. Turbo Charges Tech Sector And Jobs Strategy With $100Million Venture Capital Fund
    Premier Christy Clark has announced a $100-million venture capital fund in an effort to bolster the technology industry and diversify the economy.

    B.C. Turbo Charges Tech Sector And Jobs Strategy With $100Million Venture Capital Fund

    Canadians Prepare For Arrival Of Syrian Refugees

    Canadians Prepare For Arrival Of Syrian Refugees
    TORONTO — Canadians are preparing to welcome thousands of Syrian refugees set to arrive in the coming weeks even as the exact dates of the government-arranged flights remain shrouded in mystery.

    Canadians Prepare For Arrival Of Syrian Refugees

    Amid Hot Real Estate Sector, Montreal Properties Remain A Relative Bargain

    Amid Hot Real Estate Sector, Montreal Properties Remain A Relative Bargain
    As home sales in Toronto and Vancouver continue to hit record levels, the real estate sector in Canada's second-largest city remains an outlier, with prices almost $100,000 less than the national average.

    Amid Hot Real Estate Sector, Montreal Properties Remain A Relative Bargain

    Threat That Diverted Air France Flight To Montreal Declared False Alarm

    Threat That Diverted Air France Flight To Montreal Declared False Alarm
    At least 15 fire trucks and police cars met Flight 83 at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport late Monday, where authorities verified the aircraft, passengers and baggage

    Threat That Diverted Air France Flight To Montreal Declared False Alarm