Page 13 - aruba-today-20201116

science Monday 16 noveMber 2020
A13

Wolves preying on beavers in Minnesota reshape wetlands HEALTH

DOCTOR ON DUTY
ing to research published 82, said Gable.
Friday in the journal Sci- A survey during winter of Oranjestad
ence Advances. 2019-2020 by the Minneso- Hospital 7:00 pm / 10:00pm
Wolves preying on bea- ta Department of Natural Tel. 527 4000
vers profoundly affect Resources found the state
northern Minnesota's wet- was home to around 2,596 San Nicolas
land ecosystems because wolves. Imsan 24 hours
dams built by individual Federal wildlife officials an- Tel.524 8833
beavers — those not asso- nounced last month that Women in Difficulties
ciated with beaver colo- the gray wolf would be PHARMACY ON DUTY
nies — quickly fall apart. removed from U.S. Endan- Oranjestad:
The new research doesn't gered Species Act pro- Eagle Tel. 587 9011
show wolves reduced the tection, leaving manage- San Nicolas:
San Lucas Tel. 584 5119
total beaver population in ment decisions to states Women in Difficulties
Voyageurs National Park, and opening the door to OTHER
In this June 2012 photo provided by Tom Gable, a beaver strips but that they influenced hunting in some. However, Dental Clinic 587 9850
the leaves off of a freshly cut branch in Grand Teton National where beavers were able Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Blood Bank Aruba 587 0002
Park, Wyo. to build and maintain dams has said he opposes recre- Urgent Care 586 0448
Associated Press and ponds. ational wolf hunting. q Walk-In Doctor’s Clinic

By CHRISTINA LARSON At each abandoned dam On average, there are +297 588 0539
Women in Difficulties
AP Science Writer site studied, it took more about 73 wolves in the EMERGENCY
WASHINGTON (AP) — One than a year for another Voyageurs ecosystem, but
spring afternoon in 2015, beaver to return, accord- this number can fluctuate Police 100
527 3140
Oranjestad
biologist Thomas Gable fol- annually between 63 and Noord 527 3200
lowed signals from a gray Sudoku Sta. Cruz 527 2900
wolf's GPS tracking collar San Nicolas 584 5000
to a small stream in Minne- Police Tipline 11141
sota's Voyageurs National Ambulancia 911
Park. There he found a Fire Dept. 115
Red Cross
582 2219
large canine paw print in
the mud and tufts of wolf TAXI SERVICES
and beaver fur caught in Taxi Tas 587 5900
low bramble. Prof. Taxi 588 0035
A beaver had fallen vic- Taxi D.T.S. 587 2300
tim to a wolf, Gable de- Taxi Serv. Aruba 583 3232
duced. The industrious A1 Taxi Serv. 280 2828
rodent's work in prog- Women in Difficulties
ress stood nearby — as- TRAVEL INFO
pen logs, stripped clean, Aruba Airport 524 2424
spanned the stream, and American Airlines 582 2700
a pond about a foot deep Avianca 588 0059
was forming behind them. Jet Blue 588 2244
But when Gable checked Surinam 582 7896
again 10 days later, the Women in Difficulties
dam had begun to col- AID FOUNDATIONS
lapse. With no aquatic FAVI- Visually Impaired
engineer to repair the Tel. 582 5051
structure, the pond had
disappeared. Solution on Page 14 Alcoholics Anonymous
Tel. 736 2952
"The water had totally van- Narcotics Anonymous
ished," said Gable, who is Tel. 583 8989
based at the University of Women in Difficulties
Minnesota. But the episode Tel. 583 5400
sparked an idea. Centre for Diabetes
Over the next four years, Tel. 524 8888
biologists placed GPS col- Child Abuse Prevention
Tel. 582 4433
lars on about 30 wolves in-
side the park. Then they vis- Quota Club Tel. 525 2672
Women in Difficulties
ited every location where General Info
wolves had lingered for
more than 20 minutes and Phone Directory Tel. 118
searched the ground for
clues about animals they
preyed upon. They also
documented when new
beaver dams were aban-
doned nearby.
"Once a wolf takes out a
beaver," Gable said, "it
takes a while for another
beaver to return to the
site."