Oh, Canada: Beaver leads most Canadian cattle drive you’ve ever seen

Adrienne Ivey has seen a lot of things on the family farm. But never has the Saskatchewan rancher spotted something so uniquely Canadian – or bizarre.

You see, on Good Friday Adrienne and her husband, Aaron, came upon herd of cattle being moved by Canada’s national animal.

That’s right, a buck-toothed, flat-tailed beaver was leading about 150 heifers in a tight group around the Ivey’s ranch, a scene the couple unexpectedly came upon during their afternoon check on the herd.

Beaver leads the pack at a cattle ranch in Saskatchewan. Adrienne Ivey/Facebook

“We expected maybe a new calf, but what we actually found was possibly the most Canadian thing we have ever witnessed on our ranch,” she posted on her blog about farm life on the Prairies. “You see, the heifers were following none other than a beaver happily leading the herd around the pasture.”

Adrienne had the wherewithal to actually take a video of the odd sight.

“Have a peek at the most Canadian of all moments on our ranch,” she wrote and posted the mesmerizing 53-second video. “The time that a beaver took control of the herd for a day.”

 


So, is this where the beavers roam?

The Ivey’s Ituna farm, which is some 135 kilometres northeast of Regina, is rife with sloughs and wetlands, so beavers aren’t that unusual, especially as they look for a suitable spot to build new digs. This beaver probably didn’t mean to be the leader of the pack.

Heifers check out an unconventional herding dog. Adrienne Ivey/Facebook

But why exactly did the cattle pick this little doggie to get along?

“Because heifers are young, they are very curious creatures,” Adrienne wrote. “They were absolutely enthralled by this wayward beaver travelling across their stomping grounds. Enthralled, but wary enough to keep their distance.”

Her Facebook post recounting the event quickly went viral. Because, of course it did.

“How do we move 150 heifers in Canada?,” she posted on Facebook. “Now I just need a better trained beaver…”

Over to you, moose. Good luck topping this moment of pure Canadiana.

Photos Adrienne Ivey/View from the Ranch Porch

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Recovering newspaper reporter.

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