Beaver sighting wows park-goers in Waterloo
A beaver, spotted swimming across Silver Lake in Waterloo Park, made quite an impression on onlookers Monday.
Matt Morris was on a walk when he saw what he thought was log moving in the lake. He quickly realized it was alive.
“Sure enough, it was a beaver. I watched it swim right from the mill, right up through the centre of Silver Lake here and up underneath the bridge,” he recalled.
Morris said people in the park quickly moved toward the water to get a look at the water-loving rodent.
"What a moment when I saw a beaver swimming. And in the background, the LRT ringing its bell – a beautiful coming together of an urban landscape and nature," he said.
Morris said he saw evidence of a beaver chewing trees upstream last year. But Monday was the first time he saw the animal in the park.
City plans to let beaver be
The City of Waterloo said it’s not unusual for beavers to be in local waterways and city staff try to manage any problems.
“We want to coexist with wildlife as best as possible,” said Jessica Kellerman, manager of storm water operations and construction for the City of Waterloo.
“There are times where dams are built and we need to go in and manage that so that we don't have flooding within the urbanized areas of the city."
Beavers can block pipes and take down trees. But so far, the city said this rodent has not caused any issues in Waterloo Park. If it does cause problems, staff will contact a licensed wildlife regulator.
“It would really only become a concern if there was see dams being built where it would cause flooding or any type of risk or threat to private property structures, other wildlife etc.," Kellerman said.
CTV’s Colton Wiens spent around two hours in the park on Tuesday looking for the creature without success.
If you do catch a glimpse of it, Kellerman has this advice: "Keep your distance because they can be quite aggressive. So don't approach them.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.