Nipissing and Nipigon

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When you visit Aspen Valley you will likely meet Nipissing and Nipigon, two yearling beavers that are present residents here. But only for a while - they will finally live free, out in the wetlands where they will make a greater contribution to the welfare of Muskoka than, probably, any other creatures, even humans. We release the animals who come to us for care at the same time they would, had they been raised in their own environment and had parents, be leaving that family and assume their own lives. For each creature the time is different; for beavers, it is two years.

So, Nipissing and Nipigon look like pretty big beavers, but they are only one year old and would still be with their own families. But their families (the beavers are not actually related) were both killed by dynamite explosions where roadwork was being done. The rest of their families were killed. When the beavers were brought here last summer, they were so small that they fit in one of my hands - not any more!

Their winter was passed in an enclosure in the barn where it was warm. In the wild they would have been sharing the dark warmth of a lodge with their family, so the enclosure was fairly dim - though it did have a small water pond. We could not provide an icy roof for it, so the situation was not completely authentic - but pretty nearly! Of course, the beavers had neighbours, too - mostly a very sleepy little bear cub who came in late winter. But neighbourhood doesn’t mean much to beavers.

All animals have certain traits in common, (traits necessary for survival in the wild) but nevertheless very distinct personalities. Since, in beavers, all organs are internal, deciding the sex of the animal is purely a matter of conjecture (only other beavers know for sure), attributing personality differences to the male or female is not necessarily accurate or politically correct. Nipigon, slightly darker in colour, is quite aloof. He is more interested in food than in any human companionship. Nipissing likes food, too - but she also trots out to greet me when I go into the enclosure. If I sit down in the straw with her, she will sit beside me and in a series of grunts and chirps and chuckles explain all that has been happening in her world. When she is sure I have been told everything, she goes to join Nipigon at the food pile.

During the winter, if the beavers were living wild, they would be feeding on a great pile of stored tree branches, anchored in the mud beneath the ice, just outside their lodge. Since that supply is difficult for us to get, the beavers enjoy apples and yams, broccoli and romaine and carrots (beavers are vegetarians). But now the beavers are in an outdoor enclosure, and the world around them is very green. Though they are still given yams and apples and broccoli - they now have aspen branches, and dandelion greens, plantain, clover, and bundles of tall green grass. Raspberry cane in a special favourite.

We hope that, sometime soon, the larger beaver pond at Aspen Valley will be repaired and the beavers will have a large swimming area where they can dive and dig and act like wild beavers. The fence around the pond is four feet underground - unfortunately, the last beavers to inhabit it dug six feet down. They are now living in a beaver colony away at the back of our property - a colony that school children may visit, and watch to see how wild beavers live. However, Nipissing and Nipigon are not yet two years old, and they would not be regarded as part of that family if they were to join the colony. When their release time comes, they will likely come to a small lake, on our property, where we can watch their progress and learn all sorts of things about beavers - and they can begin their own family.

Meanwhile, Nipigon continues to regard the world somewhat balefully, and Nipissing puts up with both him and me.

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