Canadian Beaver dines out on national emblem controversy

While the debate rages as to whether the industrious Beaver should continue to have pride of place as Canada’s national emblem, this guy is apparently unconcerned that a Canadian senator has referred to it as “a dentally defective rat”. In the 1600s and early 1700s trade in their pelts drove European expansion further and further into the North American wilderness and nearly drove the beaver into extinction. The ancestors of this one obviously survived in Jasper National Park, Alberta — a location that benefits from his ability to maintain water levels, improve habitat for many forms of wildlife, stabilize stream flow and prevent stream bed erosion. And a warning to viewers: far from being dentally defective, this beaver’s ability to sever a branch and chew off the bark may inspire jealousy in your dental hygienist.