Good-bye Woodrow...

Jody, from the Muskoka Wildlife Centre, writes with sad news.

"Our big beautiful boy beaver Woodrow (a.k.a. Woody) succumbed to a brain tumor a few days ago. What we originally thought was a sinus infection failed to improve with treatment. We took our buddy to Guelph for an MRI and that is when we learned that he had an inoperable tumor inside his head. Every one of our dedicated and caring staff were devastated at the news, as Woody was truly our centre’s biggest superstar.

 He starred in numerous t.v. commercials and programs, on the silver screen and even made appearances in Whistler during the Olympics. He travelled all over Ontario helping us to teach people about beavers and how to live harmoniously with his industrious kind.

He was a gentle, loving and often bratty guy, who reminded anyone who knew him of a needy and sometimes temperamental toddler. He has left an enormous hole here at the centre and in our hearts. We know it’s not right to have favorites when caring for creatures here at the centre but in all honesty he was just that. We do get some comfort from knowing that Woody would never have survived more than a couple of days in the wild after his parents were killed and he sustained a skull fracture that cost him his teeth as a tiny baby. He had 7 wonderful years here at the centre in which he was showered with much love and attention. His last days consisted of visits from each and every staff member (and even several past staff members who came back to say goodbye). They gave him loads of his favorite treats, took him for several dips in the pond and gave him more hugs than any beaver has ever received. Woody touched us all in a way we never thought a rodent could."

Woodrow was "our" beaver -- Bondi Village sponsored him, and we were proud to do so in honour of our own wild beavers living down at Damalot and all their wild kin. Woody was the best ambassador for Canada -- he educated thousands of people about beavers, about wildlife, about the importance of sharing our planet with others and caring for it because of those others as well as ourselves. 

He remains the only beaver we know who has ridden in a bobsled at the Olympics, and starred in a movie, and been the guest of honour at the Trappers' Convention and befriended countless children through the Centre's great Outreach program and who loved to eat bananas.

Thanks for sharing the wonder with us, Woodrow. Thanks to the Muskoka Wildlife Centre for the amazing, caring work you do with all the animals, and a special hug to you for the care you gave our buddy Woody.

Swim free, Woodrow. Gnaw down some of those trees at the water's edge.  Build a dam, and a lodge up there in Heaven's ponds -- flood a little bit of Paradise. That's what beavers do.

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