A pair of adorable baby girl beavers were rescued by the Staten Island Zoo after their mother was killed in upstate New York.The beavers, which haven’t been named, were found near Ithaca and are estimated to be about one week old, zoo officials said on Thursday. Their mother was killed when caught in a trap, said Marc Valitutto, general curator and veterinarian at the Staten Island Zoo.
These will be the only beavers on display in New York area zoos.
The beavers — about 12 inches long and 1.3 pounds each — will be on display in the nursery until they move into their new exhibit inside the Children’s Center in the fall, Valitutto said. They will have lots of company from other baby animals: a baby African crested porcupine, Groundhog Chuck’s daughter, Cassie, a sloth, a fennec fox and a few hatching chicks.
Until then, they are being hand-reared and have a vigorous appetite, Valitutto said.
A video posted to the Staten Island Zoo’s Facebook page shows one of the baby beavers trying to climb the cage and falling before checking out the camera. The other then attempts to copy her. The beavers had four other siblings who were taken to a different rehabilitation center.
The Staten Island Zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. every day. It costs $8 for adults and $6 for children 3 to 14 years old.
