The Hunt for the Elusive Giant Beaver
February 5th, 2010 6:52 pm by Jonathan
Bigfoot. Champy. Mothman. Apart from being the topics of myriad documentaries on television that only serve to reaffirm my faith in reading books, these creatures have yet to be caught or leave plausible proof of their existences.
One John Warms, of Canada, is such a person who has taken up the gauntlet to investigate the claims of people who have seen monsters and other unexplained creatures. The author and retired teacher has been traveling all over to listen to first, second, and third-hand accounts of everything from an underwater moose to sasquatch, as he compiles information for an upcoming book.
Living in Manitoba, he grew up with tales of giant serpents, huge frogs, and even bigfoot. But the one creature he hopes to find is the giant prehistoric beaver. Scientifically named Castoroides ohioensis and reaching lengths of about 9 feet, these beavers are believed to have been extinct for roughly 10,000 years. However, John believes these creatures to still be alive, and is avidly seeking proof that they still roam the wilds of Canada.
"I have encountered people in northern Manitoba and along the Alaska Highway who claim to have seen the bear-sized creature," John Warms said. "I saw one in southern Manitoba, swimming, and the head was about basketball size. They seldom come ashore; that is why we don't know about them."
I am a skeptic by nature, though I keep an open mind about these things. I always try to remind myself that we often do not see that which we aren't seeking. To say that giant beavers still roam the countryside implies that there is more than one, and that they are capable to reproducing. However, the fact that one one has caught one on camera, or a corpse hasn't washed ashore (or part of one, given the size), or evidence of their impact on the immediate surroundings of their habitat, leads me to believe that the chase for the wild giant beaver may end up being nothing more than a sasquatch chase. I am however willing to consider any evidence that Mr. Warms finds and brings to light.
If you would like to know more about John Warms and his various endeavors, you can read an interview he did in Utah when he was looking for evidence of a Loch Ness monster of sorts in Bear Lake, or you can visit his site, Creatures Seldom Seen.
