It’s never a dull day at Sussex – last week we were asked by a television company to assist them in building a ‘’human beaver dam’’!
Average beaver dams can range from 10 to 100 metres long, and only rarely do they reach 500 metres.
In October 2007 a gigantic dam was discovered – which experts believe was started by these busy little animals in 1970 – and they haven’t stopped building since!
Several generations of beavers have worked on the dam and its still growing in a remote area of a national park in Canada.
A spokesman for the park said rangers flew over the heavily forested marshlands last year to try to “have a look.” They found significant vegetation growing on the dam itself, suggesting it’s very old.
“A new dam would have a lot of fresh sticks, but this one has grasses growing on it and it’s very green.”
He recently identified two smaller dams sprouting at either side of the main dam. In 10 years, all three structures could merge into a ‘mega-dam’ measuring just short of a kilometre in length, he said.
Beaver dams are created as a protection against predators and to provide easy access to food during winter. Beavers always work at night and are prolific builders, carrying mud and stones with their fore-paws and timber between their teeth.
The TV Company have asked Sussex Transport to deliver two flatbed HIABS loaded with saplings (pictured above) to a lakeside, where they will be scattered around for the ‘human’ beavers to collect up and attempt to recreate the construction of a huge human-sized dam.
It is thought that the human beavers will then spend 36 hours inside it….. Dressed as beavers perhaps?
We do not have all the details of the programme yet, so can not give you any further information! Needless to say, it sounds like fun… if you’re a beaver!
