Beavers in the Drome - ecosystem engineers?

Beavers

The European Beaver was reintroduced in the Drome and elsewhere in France about thirty years ago. They are a protected species, and have flourished, colonising thousands of kilometres of rivers all over the country.

It’s very easy to spot if there is a beaver on your stretch of the river, they gnaw down small trees on a regular basis, leaving fresh exposed wood with distinctive tooth marks. Beavers are vegetarians, family-oriented and territorial. An annoyed or threatened beaver will thwack it’s tail aggressively on the water (if a dog comes too close for example), but actually they like a quiet life and happily tolerate people if they are on the opposite bank, so spotting them is straightforward, you just need to head down to the river early in the morning or in the evening at sunset, and there they are, relaxing either on the river bank or submerged at the water’s edge.

If you want to read more about beavers, go here, if however you want to see beavers, come on one of our Wildlife and flowers holidays.