Oregon Zoo welcomes new beaver

The Oregon Zoo has added a second beaver to its menagerie, welcoming Maple earlier this month to its facilities in the West Portland hills.

Maple, a 3-year-old North American beaver, joins Filbert in the zoo’s Cascade Stream and Pond habitat. The two have become fast friends.

“Filbert and Maple are getting along really well, and it’s great for both of them to have a friend to play with,” Julie Christie, senior keeper for the zoo’s North American animals, said in a statement.

Filbert was born in 2011 to parents Willow and Aspen. In 2015, blood samples from Filbert helped researchers at Oregon State University sequence the genome for his species, which also happens to be Oregon’s state animal.

After Filbert’s parents died last year, keepers at the zoo began taking him on adventure walks around the grounds, but having another beaver to share his enclosure with will allow him to continue to develop, Christie said.

“Beavers are very social animals, so it’s wonderful to welcome a new member to the family,” she said.