KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Three North American beavers call the Knoxville Zoo home, and you can find them in the Clayton Family Kids Cove. WVLT’s Harry Sullivan spoke with beaver experts about the zoo’s dam-building creatures.

Lori Meyers is a caretaker at Kids Cove. She said the zoo had three beavers and gave a sneak peek at one of their favorite treats.

“We have Poplar, Timber and Row, and they were born here at the zoo 17 years ago, and they’re actually the oldest beavers in our Ava collection,” she said. “They love sweet potatoes.”

Sweet potato is definitely not something that wild beavers can munch on that much. Meyers said beavers tend to eat exactly what you’re probably imagining in your head.

“In the wild, they naturally ate the bark of trees,” Meyers said. “They will probably also eat grass and leaves.”

For Meyers and the Knoxville Zoo, imitating a natural diet is a priority.

“They will eat fruits or vegetables that might grow in the wild if they come across them,” she said. “Here at the zoo we try to emulate that as much as possible.”

Even if the zoo imitates natural food as much as possible, it must make some concessions.

“However, we can’t cut down 400 trees in a year,” Meyers said. “That’s a lot of trees for us, so we supplement them with grain. In the morning they eat something called Moose Chow, the main ingredient of which is actually aspen, which is one of their favorites.

Meyer said it’s common for visitors to see beavers sitting and scratching their bellies, but it’s actually a full-on chore for the beavers.

“There’s a nail that looks a little different on their back legs that helps spread the castor oil,” Meyers said. Castor oil is what makes beavers waterproof.

“Here at the zoo you can see them sitting on their butts and they are scratching their bellies,” she said. “That’s actually where their castor oil gland is, and so they spread it everywhere.”

You can find the beavers at the Knoxville Zoo inside the Clayton Family Kids Cove. They are outside, rain or shine, but are most active in the afternoon.

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