Psychological and Environmental Enrichment for Orphaned Beavers (Castor canadensis)

Abstract

One of the wildlife rehabilitator’s most challenging problems is that of providing psychological support for orphaned juvenile mammals. Even if one or more siblings are present, the infant is deprived of the comforting care of its mother, and the immeasurable benefits that her constant tending provides. Specific features of the den and its surrounding environment are also missing. Obviously, many of these benefits can never be replicated in a rehabilitation setting, but there are certainly many ways of creating an environment that will provide extra comfort and psychological and behavioral stimuli for the developing juvenile. The purpose of this paper is to describe a variety of methods used at the Alabama Wildlife Center to create a psychologically satisfying environment especially tailored to the needs of orphaned beavers. It is hoped that this paper will encourage wildlife rehabilitators to explore ways to enhance the captive environment for other species of infant mammals.