Animal Control Report: The Biggest Rodent in Alexandria

Animal Control officers in Alexandria deal with a variety of calls every week. Here's a glance at some recent incidents in the city courtesy of Patrick Egan of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

Oh my! — Giant rodents walk among us. Do not be alarmed.

On Dec. 13, an animal control officer was on patrol on Eisenhower Avenue when he spotted a large animal in the grass on the north side of the street.

Concerned for the animal’s safety, the officer stopped to investigate.

Much to the officer’s surprise, the animal turned out to be a beaver of great size—about a 50-pound rodent altogether.

Beavers never stop growing through their lives and specimens weighing more than 55 pounds are not unheard of, but can nonetheless prove startling.

The officer determined the giant beaver had emerged from a nearby stream and was just taking a rest. After some convincing, the beaver decided to return to the stream and walked away from traffic.

Sneaky squirrel — On Dec. 17, an animal control officer was dispatched to the 4700 block of Surry Place after some residents discovered a squirrel inside a neighbor’s house they were watching while the owners were out of town.

The officer was unable to locate the squirrel, but left a humane trap and food in an attempt to retrieve it and return it to the wild.

For more information about Alexandria Animal Control, visit the AWLA website.