In the seaside resort of Bredene (West Flanders) walkers had the awesome experience of encountering a beaver on the beach. The animal was seen on the beach and swimming in shallow water. The poor critter was dehydrated, as the animal is not used to swimming in salt water and was taken to a nearby animal shelter in Ostend, our premier seaside resort.
‘It is very exceptional for a beaver to wash up on the beach,’ Claude Velter of the Ostend bird sanctuary told VRT News. "No living beaver has ever been found on the beach, although dead beavers have been encountered before. Beavers are not common in West Flanders Province anyway and certainly not on the coast. It is still a young animal; it may have got lost and ended up in Bredene via the port of Ostend."
The fire brigade caught the animal and took it to the animal shelter. 'That was not a difficult task as it was hugely weakened. A beaver is a nocturnal animal, so it may have been lost since last night. Most worryingly of all, it was very dehydrated because beavers usually swim around in fresh water. Sea water was not good for them.'
'The male beaver is already eating and drinking well. We will only know for sure in three days’ time whether it will make it. If no kidney problems crop up by then, it will be fine.'
