A beaver has been spotted on the Eindhoven University of Technology campus.
It’s left plenty of traces behind in recent months, but now the beast has been captured on camera. Frans Hijnen of (Foundation Eindhoven Urban Nature Foundation) was investigating sightings of this elusive creature. “It was leaving more and more traces.”
“Like tree trunks chewed into pencil-sharp points and gnaw marks. That made it easier to track. Along with the city council, we’ve now been able to capture the beaver on wildlife cameras,” Hijnen says.
Spotted in the river
The animal was spotted swimming up the Dommel towards the city centre. Traces of beavers have been found there too. According to Hijnen, there’s no cause for concern.
“Beavers are mainly active at night. So, it won’t bother the students during the day”. The beaver is alone now, but is probably looking for a partner here.
According to Hijnen, beavers returning to the Netherlands is good news. These creatures weren’t part of the Dutch landscape for a long time. That’s partly due to their extermination.
They’re back, at last
They were considered pests. Beavers have been making a comeback since 1988. The first beavers were spotted in Eindhoven in 2017. Two were seen within as many months.
Also in the Dommel river, but that time in the Vaartbroek neighbourhood. “We fought to get them back. They add nicely to the Netherlands’ biodiversity,” says Frans.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Bob
Editor: Melinda Walraven
