Adorable baby beaver found abandoned on Calgary golf course

Wildlife conservationists in Calgary are scratching their heads wondering how a charming baby beaver found himself in a "really odd location," and what to do with the abandoned little guy.

The furry critter was found all alone with an injured tail at the top of a hill, under a tree and well away from the water on a Calgary-area golf course on June 27.

"Our suspicion is that he was picked up by a predator and then dropped," said Holly Duvall, executive director of the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation where the baby beaver now lives.

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"It's not normal at this age for beaver kits to be separated from their parents. They're very bonded," Duvall said.

Duvall estimates that the beaver is between four and six weeks old. Tail injury aside, he seems to be adjusting well to his new surroundings. 

"He's pretty typical for a baby beaver. They love their pool time," she said.

Several times a day, the little guy is taken out to the pool to drink, bathe and answer nature's call. 

"He loves to groom afterwards which is a great sign," Duvall said. "It's fantastic that we're seeing that with him."

As he's still a baby, he's eating beaver-specific formula supplemented with live willow and poplar branches. 

Looking for a family

This beaver is the only one of its kind at the AIWC care.

"We would like to see him raised with other beaver kits," she said, but added that her organization does not know of any centres in the province with those animals in their care. 

The AIWC has reached out to potential partner organizations and says it's exploring all possibilities for the baby animal's long-term care. 

"If all goes well, we anticipate that we'll have to have him in care for two to three years," she said.

"For now, he's doing really well, and we're very happy about that."