At the mansion of the Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve in the valley of the Terebushka river there is an ecological path: a special deck for wildlife exposure and description. The place has been chosen on purpose: the valley of the small forest river Terebushka is extremely beautiful. Not only people like it, but animals too – they settled in the river and its former beds long ago.
Here lives a beaver family – a male, a female and 4 or 5 of their cubs. In spring when the children grow up they will part with their family and start an independent life in another place. But so far the Terebushka valley is their home. And that is why it’s here they eat trees and build dams. And they are so assiduous at it that the nature reserve staff started worrying about the natural complex. It has been decided to fence several trees in metal netting in order to save them from beavers.
It’s clear that the beavers are very comfortable at the natural sanctuary of the Terebushka, says Alexander Nikitenkov, the head of the Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve. Fencing certain trees, mostly venerable oaks and maples, will not affect the beavers’ forage resources; however it will be beneficial for the ecosystem of this beautiful place.
The balance between the interests of trees and beavers is kept: the animals are left willows, aspens and alders, i.e. their general forage. As for the oaks of the natural sanctuary of the Terebushka, which are sometimes used by the beavers for grinding off their teeth, they will be safe. When the beavers run out of the forage, they will simply move to another place and get back to the Terebushka valley when the young growth of willow and alder show up.
