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Phoenix residents are witnessing an unusual influx of beaver sightings in their neighborhoods, highlighting the presence of these unexpected visitors.
The Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale reported the latest sighting in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood, where rescuers discovered a beaver actively gnawing on a tree.
Kim Carr, the animal care manager at the conservation center, described the scene to the Arizona Republic, noting that the beaver had nearly chewed through half of the tree and appeared unperturbed by the gathering crowd. This incident marks the third recent beaver sighting in Phoenix and Tempe.
In a region where approximately 200 beavers are believed to inhabit the wild, typically favoring areas near major waterways, experts like Carr suggest that these beavers might be straying from their native river systems, leading them into the Valley.
Carr explained, "They must come in from the river systems because you're not just going to find a bunch of beavers living in Phoenix and dipping into the canals and coming out."
A similar theory proposes a potential link between the Salt River and the canal system. Once a beaver enters a canal, such as the one near 44th Street and Osborn, the lack of food prompts them to emerge in search of sustenance.
Reassuringly, the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center confirmed that the examined Arcadia beaver is in good health and will soon be released back into the wild.