South Estonia trailcam captures beaver battling wolves
A trail camera in South Estonia captured a very rare sight, Postimees reported.
Footage retrieved from the camera shows at least two wolves hunting in tandem – their prey, a beaver.
This required the predators to wade in the water, meaning the beaver was at least on home territory.
Time and again the wolves can be seen getting a grip on the beaver, usually its tail, and at one point can be seen carrying it off between them, only for the plucky beaver to break free again and fight for its life by launching a counterattack against one of the wolves.
While it is not clear from the Postimees clip if the beaver eventually made it or not, the footage itself is among the first of its kind to have been posted here.
Last year a trailcam in Viljandi County captured a lynx attempting to prey on a beaver. The animal escaped quite comfortably that time.
Beavers are comparatively small prey for Eurasian wolves, which often feast on larger ungulates. Amid reported growing numbers, attacks on livestock in Estonia, including even horses, as well as pet dogs, have been common recent occurrences.
There are two extant species: the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) and the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), with the latter found in Estonia. They are the second-largest living rodents, after capybaras.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Postimees
