Beaver defies experts by surviving second winter in Polish mountains
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- 18 Apr 2023
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A beaver has surprised wildlife experts by surviving a second winter in the Polish High Tatra mountains, where temperatures can drop below -20°C (-4°F) at night. Park rangers now see signs that the animal has been joined by others, indicating that a new colony may be established there.
The creature was first spotted at Morskie Oko, the largest lake in the Tatra Mountains, in August 2021. It was the first case in modern memory of a beaver being observed at such a high altitude in the Polish mountains, with Morskie Oko being almost 1,400 metres (4,593 feet) above sea level.
Rangers at Tatra National Park (TPN) initially believed that the beaver had simply wandered to higher ground in a one-off event, but it soon became apparent that the animal had made its home at Morskie Oko, an unusual habitat for the animal.
Questions were raised about whether and how the beaver, which does not hibernate, would be able to survive the cold Tatra winter. But contrary to reports that the animal had died from a fall, it was later revealed that the beaver had in fact survived its first winter and continued to be spotted by the lake.
In a video published by TPN last week, park ranger Grzegorz Bryniarski revealed that the beaver has now “survived a second winter and is doing well”. The elusive creature is still yet to be caught on camera, but traces of its presence are clear in the area. Read More…
