Why Monday’s Beaver Sighting Is Likely to Remain a Rare Occurrence

The beaver may have gotten lost, but it knew enough not to head to New Jersey. Photo by Ralph Stone.

The beaver that was spotted swimming in the Hudson River on Monday appeared to be a lone wolf (er beaver) and is unlikely to be followed by dozens of other dam-building friends. That’s the conclusion of several scientists interviewed by the New York Times, which followed up on our story about the beaver.

While the beaver, which was spotted by Ralph Stone around 70th Street on Monday morning, is evidence that the Hudson is getting cleaner, it’s not a harbinger of more to come.

Both Ms. Alter and Mr. Thomas said there was no obvious place for beavers to make a home on the Hudson in New York City, where the shoreline was highly developed and they lack a clear source of food.

George Jackman, a habitat restoration manager for Riverkeeper, an environmental group, said that the Hudson’s salinity and boat traffic made it a dangerous environment for a beaver. He said it was likely that the beaver had gotten lost.

“This is not a hospitable habitat to him,” Mr. Jackman said.

In fact, Andrew Reiter, who spotted the beaver closer to 59th Street on Monday afternoon, said it looked a little confused and out of place.

“I kind of had the sensation that it was, like, a long way from home,” Mr. Reiter said. “Just watching it swim through a little bit of trash, it was moving so slowly.”

Good luck getting home beaver.