In Germany, Beavers are threatening to turn-back 300 years of history by flooding a series of small towns along the Oder River.

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PART THREE

The Threat of Beavers - Christoph Seidler

We started this segment with the sound of beavers -- nature's construction workers -- hard at work. Here in Canada, the beaver is an iconic national symbol. But along the Oder River in Germany, beavers are the enemy within. That's because they are proving to be expert wrecking crews - as well as good builders. Christoph Seidler dug out this story for the German magazine Der Spiegel. He was in Berlin.

The Threat of Beavers - Michael Callahan

Michael Callahan has a lot of experience when it comes to dealing with beavers. He is the President of Beaver Solutions, a company that specializes in resolving human/beaver conflicts. He was in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The Threat of Beavers - Bart Nolet

Although - as we mentioned - the Canadian critter isn't being fingered for the havoc along the Oder river... for some countries in Europe, the Canadian beaver or Castor Canadensis still gets a bad rap.

To explain why - and what the heck Canadian beavers are doing there in the first place, we were joined by Bart Nolet. He is Senior researcher at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. He joined us from just outside Utrecht.

Related Links:

• A Gnawing Problem - Brandenburg Frets over Beaver Boom by Christoph Seidler - Spiegel
• Ivan, what's that chewing sound? Canadian beavers are chomping their way across Russia by Malcolm Gray - Maclean's Magazine
  

Last Word - This Day in History Satire

On this day in 1967, Doctor James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryogenically frozen.

44 years later, Doctor Bedford's chances of future resuscitation are matched only by the Liberal Party of Canada.

*** And a reminder ... Due to the overwhelming response to our Mental Health Special with Steven Page, we are working on a special national phone-in edition of The Current tomorrow.

Steven Page will be back again, along with Doctor David Goldbloom, the Vice-Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. We want to hear your stories about what it's like to struggle with mental illness in Canada. We'll have the toll-free number for you at the top of the program tomorrow morning. And we'll post it on our website as well.

Other segments from today's show:

• Dangerously Mentally Ill
• Murder at the Shoe Shop