Famed Martinez Beaver Family Survives Storm Surge
MARTINEZ (BCN) - Rushing water from Thursday's storm destroyed the home of a family of beavers living in Alhambra Creek in downtown Martinez, but the creatures themselves appear to have survived, the founder of a beaver advocacy group said Friday.
All four beaver dams and even the lodge where the beavers lived were washed downstream, said Heidi Perryman, who founded the group Worth a Dam.
But Thursday night the father beaver was seen swimming against the current with two of his three kits, Perryman said.
The third kit and a 2-year-old offspring that also lived in the creek were not seen.
The 2-year-old returned to the dam last June shortly after the mother beaver died. He has been seen helping the father beaver care for the kits, which are now about 10 months old.
Perryman said that the 2-year-old hasn't been seen in a while and it is possible he has moved away on his own.
The beavers have had their dams washed away during heavy rainstorms before and re-built them, but they have never had their lodge washed away.
"All that was left was a hole," Perryman said.
She said it isn't clear whether the beavers will rebuild again or move somewhere else, but said at least they weren't washed away in the current.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)
