International Beaver Day
April 7 is International Beaver Day. It is a day to highlight the importance of beavers on our landscapes.
The beaver (Castor canadensis) is the national animal of Canada (since 1975). It was also featured on Canada’s first postage stamp in 1851, [1] and it occurred on the Canadian nickel from 1937 to present day. [2]
The "Threepenny beaver" stamp of 1851
The Dam Beaver 🦫
Love them or hate them
They are the best engineers
Keeps our water clean
Our beloved Canadian author Margaret Atwood has also spoken about the devastation of colonialism on this species and the greed of the British Empire that pushed beavers close to extinction.
“Canada was built on dead beavers.”
“The world’s longest beaver dam is found in Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park and is almost 800 metres in length. The average dam is only about 100 metres in length!” [4]
Small beaver dam (2024)
located near Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, Alberta
Today in Canada, the beaver has rebounded through conservation efforts, and current population estimates are less than 10% (approximately 10-15 million) of historical averages (100 to 200 million), but are now thankfully listed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List. [5]
Beavers are restoring wetlands throughout North America. We should be eternally grateful that this species was saved, because it has had major positive impacts on our ecosystems. I hope today, every Canadian will take a moment to thank a beaver!
You can see another haiku I wrote about beavers here - Beaver Moon🌕
[1] Official symbols of Canada
[2] Royal Canadian Mint - 5 cents. Accessed March 25, 2026.
[3] Puckstruck (2024) With a beaver on top. Posted online February 5, 2024.
[4] Canadian Geographic (2019) Animal Facts: Beavers. Posted online June 9, 2019.
[5] Cassola, F. (2016) Castor canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T4003A22187946. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T4003A22187946.en. Accessed on 25 March 2026.
I recommend this Canadian YouTube channel - Mike’s Videos of Beavers, which highlights beavers in Saskatchewan.
For more facts about beavers I recommend: University of Alberta (2023) International Beaver Day: Why Canada’s favourite rodent is so ‘dam’ interesting.
