Internet Outtage in Canada Blamed on Beavers

Did you know that we used to have beavers in the UK? Given that they went extinct around 400 years ago, I can only presume that we either shot them or turned them into a pie. For Canada, however, it is well known that while certainly cute, adorable, and iconic creatures, they can cause more than a few problems with infrastructures. – In a very unusual case of nature fighting back against technology, however, following a report via Gizmodo, a small suburb of Canada with roughly 2,000 residents saw many lose their internet connection over the weekend, and the ISP is saying that beavers were the culprit!

Beavers Shut Down the Internet

Following a report via the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it has been found that beavers, for reasons moderately unclear, decided that the fibre internet cabling looked like dam-worthy material and decided to chew through the cabling. As such, in the Tumbler Ridge area of Canada, around 900 people were left without an internet connection.

A spokesperson for the ISP issued the following statement:

“Beavers have chewed through our fibre cable at multiple points, causing extensive damage. Our team located a nearby dam, and it appears the beavers dug underground alongside the creek to reach our cable, which is buried about three feet underground and protected by a 4.5-inch thick conduit. The beavers first chewed through the conduit before chewing through the cable in multiple locations.”

What Do We Think?

The vast majority of the time my internet cuts out, it’s largely due to my villages somewhat ageing phone system. Well, that and the fact that I suspect every time a BT engineer goes in a cabinet to fix one problem they accidentally create four more. – I think, however, I would be somewhat shocked if I was ever told that a beaver prevented me from logging in for a few rounds of Warzone.

The internet provider for the region, Telus, has described the event as a “uniquely Canadian disruption!” – I’d personally, however, only entirely agree with that statement if/as/when the beavers issue a formal written apology about it.

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!