The Beaver

"Consider its ways and be wise!" Proverbs 6:6

A model of Industry and Expertise

The beaver is one of the best known wild animals in Canada. Because of its industry and engineering ability in building dams, the beaver is used as an emblem to adver­tise many companies. There are Beaver Lumber, Beaver Gas, Beaver Engineering, and Beaver Foods - to name only a few. "Busy as a beaver" is an expression taken from the indefatigable labours of the beaver to build and maintain dams on waterways. The beaver even found its way on to the Canadian 5 cent coin. Places in England like Bercote, Beverstone and Beaversbrook are named after the beaver - indicative of its international acclaim.

Unquestionably the lumberjack of the forest, the beaver uses its sharp incisor teeth (self-sharpening and designed long be­for the chainsaw!) to gnaw through 6 in. (15cm.) aspen, poplar and alder in a few minutes. At the Manitoulin Bible Camp, the stumps of these chewed-off trees can be seen within a few feet of the main meeting room.

Why are beavers so industrious? They have to be industrious in order to survive. They live in the colder regions of Canada and in the fall of the year when the leaves turn yellow they begin to build a magazine or food pile for winter eating. They choose the fall of the year so that the tender twigs and branches still contain nourishment in the sap. If cut earlier they would rot in the water. Smart beavers! They cannot learn this information by trial and error because if in error and the twigs rot, or if cut too late and without nourishment, the beaver would die.

The food pile is usually partially sub­merged, the lower branches being wedged in the mud so that it won't simply float away. It provides all the food requirements of the beaver during the long winter months when the lake or pond is frozen to a depth of several metres. If the beaver were unable to get to its food pile, it could chew away at the twigs in its lodge for a while, but death would be inevitable.

The Dams - Engineering Marvels

Beavers dam streams and creeks to en­able them to reach trees close to the water. When on land, the beaver is almost defense less against wolves, and bears, but when in the water it outclasses all its enemies ex­cept the otter.

Dam construction is something to behold. Beavers can build dams in the most difficult terrain. Some of these dams stretch for over 1,000 feet (305 metres) and have been known to support whole lakes of water. If the dams break - goodbye lakes.

The beavers carefully select the best lo­cation for a dam. They begin by wedging "y-shaped" twigs and branches in the mud. More sticks, mud and stones are worked into the dam until the beaver has ensured that the winter freeze-up will not ice the pond so deeply that the food pile cannot be reached from the lodge. Beavers sometimes flood more areas to ensure an adequate water supply during the dry months of summer when drought may cause the creek or stream to dry up. Besides man, there is no other creature which so alters its envi­ronment for its own benefit. Sometimes dams result in the flooding of valuable trees on private property, the flooding of roads and sometimes buildings. When this occurs, dams have to be removed. Removing a dam is not as easy as you may think. On a creek which flows through part of my farm, the beavers make their regular spring adven­ture to new territory. These beavers are usually two year olds forced out of the lodge of their parents to make room for new offspring. In order to save farm land from being flooded (on the adjoining farm as well), I spent many hours in the cold water of early spring with hip waders. The beavers cut hundreds of twigs and branches upstream, float them down and then wedge them in the peat bog. These have to be pulled out by hand. But alas, I was to learn, that it was all in vain. By next morn­ing, the beavers, sensing that the water level was falling, had worked throughout the night and easily rebuilt the dam. Occa­sionally, when surprised they would slap the water with their tails (a danger sound which can be heard up to 1/2 mile away -1 km.), only to reappear when all danger was passed.

Even trapping beavers requires consider­able skill. They have been known to chew a front leg off if caught in a leg-hold trap. The Conibear traps are the most successful (and the least painful). However the first two attempts in our creek landed two huge snapping turtles which, when alive, could easily sever a finger with one bite.

The Lodge - A House which can be Eaten

Beaver lodges are a familiar sight in many of the lakes in Ontario's northland. On Martin Lake on the Manitoulin, there are three beaver lodges. These are cone­shaped and compacted with mud and twigs. Not only does this secure them in the sum­mer time, but the mud freezes in the winter, making it a more difficult task for wolves to gain entry. The lodge is hollow inside, with a vent through the sticks in the top to provide ventilation. When the young kits are born (2-4) they chew on the twigs in the interior of the lodge. The actual liv­ing quarters are above the level of the sur­rounding water and there are usually sev­eral tunnels under the water leading to the outside.

The Hand that made them is Divine

Adult beavers may weigh from 30 to 70 pounds (14-32 kg.). They are ideally de­signed by the Great Creator for their life in the water. They have a special membrane which protects the eye and can swim up to 1/2 mile (1 km.) under water. Special flaps close off the throat from water and wood­chips (when cutting trees). Even the nose and ear openings can be closed by valves. They also have a reduced heart beat to con­serve oxygen when long periods underwa­ter are required. In an emergency, oxygen can be diverted from the muscles to the brain. The beaver's toleration of carbon dioxide in the blood is much higher than it is for man. When an emergency occurs under winter ice, beavers can exhale air taken in while in the lodge. The air rises through the water (which purifies it) and is trapped under the ice as an air bubble. The beaver can surface and re-inhale this air!

The beaver has been a much sought after animal. The explorers who travelled the great waterways of Canada did so in search of furs, and mostly beaver fur. Beavers were in great demand between 1853-1877 for fur hats in Europe. In this period, 3,000,000 furs were marketed. The beaver fur is well-oiled by two large glands under the tail and combed by split claws of the inner nails on the rear webbed feet. The underfur is protected by guard hairs that flatten when wet and act as a shield. On the Manitoulin Island, Christadelphians still trap beavers and sell their furs as part of their income.

In Europe, beavers have become nearly extinct because they were used in the per­fume industry. Beavers have a gland called the "castoreum" located near the tail which is used as a base or a fixative for perfume. The secretion from the gland was regarded as a cure-all for colic, sciatica, hiccoughs and even for improving eye-sight. There may have been some substance to these remedies as it was later discovered that these glands contained salicylic acid from which aspirin, a pain-killer, is derived.

Beaver tails were once enjoyed by fur traders and trappers when boiled for, soup. Even beaver teeth were sometimes ground up and added to the soup as a favourite remedy for certain illnesses.

Preparation and Preservation

The energetic beaver provides a lesson in preparation. In this respect, it might be compared to a young Bible student. Every­thing a beaver does promotes its own pre­servation. Similarly, all the decisions of a Bible student must be made with his/her ultimate salvation in mind. The instruction of Jesus is: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." (Matt. 6:33 A.V.) "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul . . ." (Gk: 'psuche,' 'life.' R.S.V., Matt, 16:26 A.V.).

The beaver has to give attention to its food pile at just the right time - in the fall of the year. If the twigs are chewed off too early, they will rot in the water and pro­vide little or no nourishment in the winter time. If the beaver waits too long, winter freeze-up may prevent access to the trees. Similarly, the young disciple must give time to Bible study - private, personal Bible study. This is the disciple's life-line for the wintry days when the icy blasts of trial and difficulty come. It may be prolonged illness, family tragedy, disappointment over a girl or boy friend, loneliness or failure at school.

The beaver goes to great lengths to sec­ure the right environment for survival. Sometimes secondary emergency dams are built to ensure sufficient water supply. Wouldn't it be delightful if all young people gave this much attention to their personal Bible Study? Is time set aside, and daily readings from the Bible done with the family with unfailing regularity? Is there a place for study? Are the basic study aids like concordances handy for ready use? Or are the comic books and pop records closer to hand?

The Almighty has given the beaver ev­erything it needs for its environment. The right kind of teeth, the right kind of fur - warm, waterproof - the right kind of "knowledge" about trees, dam-building, lodge-building and underwater swimming. Similarly, God has given us a Bible in our own native tongue which we can read, in a land where freedom is granted to read it; all of the study aids one could wish - concordances, lexicons and study day notes. More leisure time is available now than ever before, and there are the advantages of better education to apply to the study of Scripture. May God be thanked for all of these mercies and may they be used energetically for His glory!

Ron Abel