Beaver busted by officials at Tempe Town Lake
Jan 14, 2015, 4:31 PM | Updated: 4:31 pm
PHOENIX — A Tempe family got the surprise of a lifetime Tuesday night, when they happened upon a beaver trapped in Tempe Town Lake.
The beaver was found trapped in a construction zone, located below a dam in the lake. Amy Burnett, a representative with Arizona Game and Fish, explained wildlife officials responded to the report late Tuesday night.
“Someone reported seeing a beaver and they got some video of it, and sure enough, it was right below the dam here at Tempe Town Lake,” Burnett said.
The beaver was successfully removed from the lake and transferred to Southwest Wildlife, where he will be rehabbed and up for release in about a month, Burnett said.
Finding a beaver in the lake is not uncommon, but spotting one so close to the dam is, Burnett said.
“It’s unusual for people to see it so close to the dam and in this area, where it was, was a construction zone, but it’s not uncommon to see them in the Salt River,” Burnett said. “In fact, there are probably a couple hundred (beavers) living in the Salt and Verde Rivers in the Phoenix-Metro area.”
When asked if there was any relation to the runaway bear in Mesa, Burnett responded, “No, but I think they’re all deciding that it’s…a great year to be here because of the Super Bowl. All the animals are coming down, just like all the people, to Phoenix, and they’re showing off.”
KTAR’s Sandra Haros contributed to this report.
