Apparently some folks need to be reminded: don’t try to manhandle a beaver that doesn’t want to be touched.
A fisherman in Belarus learned that the hard way; when he reached down to pick it up, the beaver—no doubt feeling cornered—bit him in what was unfortunately a major artery. The 60 year old angler died of his wounds, but he was probably too old to learn from the experience anyway. Perhaps others can learn from it instead.
Again, in case you missed it above, DON’T TRY TO PICK UP WILD ANIMALS! Humans aren’t known for being the most benign of creatures, especially to a beaver, whose species we once hunted and trapped practically to extinction. It’s perfectly understandable that they would distrust an approaching two-legger, especially one who is intent on hooking fish. Any animal will do what it can to defend itself against the threat of being killed and/or eaten. Beavers have a couple of very sharp, tree-lopping teeth to resort to when push comes to shove.
Some papers reported that the human victim was trying to pick the animal up to pose with it for a photo. If so, it was another case of stupidity for the sake of vanity. Still, it won’t necessarily earn him a coveted Darwin Award; others have him beat. I knew a photographer that used to frequent Yellowstone (past tense, since he’s no longer with us) who would creep up to within a few yards of a grizzly bear’s fresh kill, hoping for a close-up shot.
Although the aim of wildlife photography is non-lethal, photographers shouldn’t take it as a free pass to disturb animals at will. Unfortunately, some who “shoot” with a camera have a mind-set similar to that of a typical trophy hunter. Wearing face paint and cammo from head to toe (some are in fact off-season hunters, while others just enjoy dressing up like one), these self-serving photographers are often seen standing along the roadway photographing animals who are quite obviously aware of their presence. Believing themselves invisible (cleverly disguised as a tree or a bush), they crowd in and get as chummy as they want to their quarry, no matter that their urge for closeness isn’t mutual.
I couldn’t count how many times I’ve seen people, both professionals and point-and-shooters, run right up to a bison, elk, moose or bear hoping for a trophy shot or souvenir. Every year, irresponsible photo-getters are gored, trampled or charged by animals annoyed enough to feel they must defend themselves. But untouchably elite Homo sapiens don’t like being put in their place, and over-protective parks’ departments routinely execute a one-strike-you’re-out policy in response to any defensive actions taken by ordinary nonhumans.
Careless behavior by photographers can force animals to leave their familiar surroundings, separate mothers from their young or interrupt natural activities necessary for survival. Hardly a day goes by without the inevitable park visitor committing the amateurish, impatient act of yelling or honking at a peaceful herbivore so he or she will quit grazing and look up towards the camera. And there’s always some joker who throws part of his sandwich out the window to draw in a bear or coyote.
Once in Yellowstone I reported such an incident to a ranger who pointed at the coyote and asked, “Is that the culprit?” “No,” was my exasperated reply, “The culprit is the guy who threw out his sandwich!”
Portions of this post were excerpted from the book, Exposing the Big Game: Living Targets of a Dying Sport
Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, 2013. All Rights Reserved
Exposing the Big Game 
uhhhh, 60 is not old. we at predator defense are pushing 60 and I am over the 60 mark and still fighting the good fight w the rest of em. don’t be agist. this guys’ problem was not his age, he was stupid. never ever pick up or touch a wild animal, duhhhhhh. I see you get that, but the aging bias is not what I would expect from one w an open and bright mind like yours. how old are you?
Sally, I’m in my 60’s and maybe I’m stupid or maybe I’m not so full of myself I think every conversation is about me ! My interpretation, HE made it to HIS 60’s and HE still was a dumb shit, so HE has a snowball’s chance in hell of ever learning. Are you to old to learn ? If not here’s a lesson for you.
Don’t take yourself so seriously and LIGHTEN UP !!!
Thank you nackpets for answering to this the way I would have, once I got over being accused of agism (yeah, right): Lighten up and don’t assume everything Is about you, Sally. (But then, that’s asking someone from my age group to learn from our mistakes, and I’m not sure that’s possible;) Much of what I write is steeped in satire and not meant to be read so dead seriously. If anything, I expected to hear back about how casually I mentioned that the middle-aged fisherman died. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to write anything at all, when people seem to completely miss the point of the post.
Jim, My pleasure ! I did not want you to think that we all thought as St. Sally and don’t you dare stop writing these posts !! I enjoy them and I know many other people do and if she doesn’t she go kiss her own ass, her head down there already! Even though I’m in my 60’s I don’t believe I’m too old to learn.
sincerely, Nancy
I wish as many news outlets as flogged this story (twice) were saying how foolish it was to pick up the beaver. I can’t believe how ready we are to believe an herbivore kills and how reluctant we are to believe that this keystone species promotes biodiversity, cleans water, enriches the riparian border and recharges the aquifer. Thanks for this.
Heidi Perryman
Worth A Dam
http://www.martinezbeavers.org
You’re welcome, Heidi, and Thank you for the link. I meant to include info about all the good that beavers do for their fellow animals (who, though perhaps not old, aren’t stupid enough to try to pick up a beaver). I guess I assume that readers know the benefits of having beavers around, but I encourage everyone to check out Heidi’s link for refreshing.
I see the good that beavers do on a daily basis, as there are active beaver ponds throughout my property. I’ve seen wood ducks, hooded mergansers, geese, herons, kingfishers, fish, mink, muskrat and many others using the beaver pond system that would otherwise have been shallow, swampy brown water that wouldn’t support nearly as much life.
Sally, I’m in my 60’s and maybe I’m stupid or maybe I’m not so full of myself I think every conversation is about me ! My interpretation, HE made it to HIS 60’s and HE still was a dumb shit, so HE has a snowball’s chance in hell of ever learning. Are you to old to learn ? If not here’s a lesson for you.
Don’t take yourself so seriously and LIGHTEN UP !!!
How the hell did that happen ?? Sorry! Now I have something new to learn… imagine that !
Reblogged this on Carinas space.
I think of myself as old-I am in my 60s. And Sally…60 is old! Picking up beavers is a dumb thing to do and fishing as well the guy had no clue. I knew a guy who was trying to pet a stranded sea lion thinking it needed human comfort! He’s lucky to be alive.We are not still in the running in our sixties-it is the last hurrah.
It is true that his actions were not a result of his age. We are stupid at any age.
I read of someone who used to make a dare with his friends-who could sneak up on a grizzly and smack the bear on the rump and make a quick get-away! He lived to tell but he was scared out of his wits. One day he smacked a bear who was eating berries in the woods. The bear came after him. The man dived under his truck. That bear circled and circled sweeping his paws under the vehicle and lifting up the truck to get the man. You bet that man was a changed man! He never did that again.
He may not be old, but I bet his hair is white from the experience. I hope he learned from it…
Denderah, Now that is funny, I would have loved to see that go down. I wonder how old that moron is? I swear animals are smarter than some people!
That’s for sure.
He was actually not a bad guy. He loved the animals and woods but he was young and daring. And well… he learned alright. When I was young I made a bed one night in grizzley habitat-California grizzy. I slept in a sleeping bag right on the ground. My grandmother had a cabin in the woods. I woke to a bear sniffing my face, I guess he thought I wasn’t worth killing. He shuffled off. I was frozen with terror. Never again!
Unfortunately, there are no grizzlies left in California. I don’t consider sleeping under the stars in bear habitat to be a dumb thing to do, unless you have food in your sleeping bag most bears will leave you alone.
I googled that the last grizzly in California was shot in 1922. But my experiences were in the 1950s. And a grizzly was shot and killed just next to the grammar school. The bear had migrated down from Lassen Park. In the 1960s there were reports of grizzly attack in Lassen Park and two campers were killed.
This guy was an anti-hunter. He loved his woods and hated the deer hunters with a passion. So he and his friends used to sneak up on the deer hunter camp at night and raid their tents and chase them into the woods. Those hunter machos screamed like school girls.
Sounds like something my brothers would hare done when they were young, when your young you can get away with being foolish. Hopefully when you hit our age you’re wiser and a little bit smarter and more tolerant of other people .
No we are not to old to learn. But we are old and should not be overly sensitive about it as Sally seems to be. Sorry Sally.
Grizzley-grizzy? I meant grizzly. You see I am still shook up with the memory.
I did not know there were no more California grizzlys. That does not bode well. When I was a girl they sometimes migrated down from the mountains near to our grammar school playground. Man I am old.
Years a go we had a cat named Smokey and he would just about knock you over to get out door he got out one day and I was worried so there I sat in the dark kitchen staring out the sliding glass door 1:30 in the morning I saw something white underneath my neighbors Bush I jumped up and ran out the door charged over to the bush and grab ahold of what I thought was Smokey as I’m picking the animal up the light bulb going on in my head the fur felt different as I pulled it out of the bush my eyes just about popped out of my head has I heard my voice saying your not Smokey your a skunk , I gently put him/her back down and stood up straight and thought oh my god here it goes I’m going to get nailed well I guess the skunk felt bad for me he wandered out from underneath the bush stopped turned around and looked at me and turned back around and walked into the night. One hour later Smokey show up . I was so mad at that cat, when I told my husband he laughed so hard I thought he was going to spray me with his coffee, and told me it was my own fault going out there that late at night.
Ha Ha that is so funny!
I am glad the animals can take pity on us humans. They do seem to know when we are not a threat. I’ve met a skunk before and came away unscathed.
So am I they are a lot kinder to us than many humans are to them.Tthere’s nothing funny than coming across a skunk in a group of people, everybody steps aside and freezes and the skunk just walks through like they don’t have a care in the world
I already know the policy of “Don’t feed the bears” in regards to wildlife, but as a “underground” if I know the right thing is to step-up to-the-plate, I will act. And last year while I was doing back counrty riding out in Utah I came across a friend in need who was caught in a trap. (Now I don’t recommend anyone doing what I did without proper guidance) My burton gloves (gore-tex non-leather) were on at the time so I would have to worry about bites and what not. So long story short is one critter had a difference made in their life, that critter was a musk rat. That event forever changed my life.
The ultimate idiot has got to be the drunk Russian guy who got his pecker bitten off by a raccoon he tried to rape:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2172612/Toothy-raccoon-bit-off-mans-penis.html
too bad
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I tend to miss the point with a lot of bloggers I follow. I think my dyslexia prevents me from “getting it”. I’m stupid like that. LOL!
Maybe I should write everything backwards for you;)