A group of wildlife photographers silently pursued their target on a calm evening near Perth, Ont., using an electric trolling motor to advance upstream. The tranquility was disrupted when the elusive white beaver sensed their presence and swiftly disappeared beneath the water’s surface.
Renowned Ottawa photographer Dennis Jackson, known for his wildlife captures, was taken aback by the rare sighting of the white beaver. Eager to investigate further, Jackson enlisted the expertise of Canadian naturalist Michael Runtz, along with his wife, Britta Runtz, an accomplished photographer, and a reporter from CBC.
The primary objective was to determine whether the white beaver was an albino, facing low odds of survival due to impaired vision, or a leucistic variant with partial pigmentation loss. Despite the creature making a twilight appearance, its reaction to human scent raised uncertainty about its continued presence.
In a suspenseful moment, the white beaver gracefully swam past the photographers’ boat, revealing its distinctive pale tail before emerging among the reeds. Upon closer observation, dark fur on its front left paw and dark eyes contradicted the albino theory, leading Runtz to identify it as a leucistic beaver.
The captivating encounter left the retired Carleton University professor in awe, emphasizing the rarity of the sighting. The group’s delight was further heightened by successfully capturing photographic evidence of the unique white beaver.
While color mutations can occur in beaver offspring, lighter coats may increase their vulnerability to predators. The sighting of white beavers remains a rare occurrence, with the Canadian Museum of Nature even possessing a leucistic beaver pelt collected in 1918.
For Jackson, the significance of the sighting lay in its exceptional nature rather than its scientific implications, describing it as one of the most remarkable experiences he has encountered. As the day concluded, the boat journey back home was filled with reflections on the extraordinary encounter with the elusive white beaver.
