Is Jose the Bronx Beaver Still Around?
Jose, the Bronx River beaver.
Bite marks like these give hope that Jose is still alive.
Fans of Jose, the famous Bronx River beaver, are hoping he isn’t resting in peace.
The bucktoothed, broad-tailed furry symbol of the once badly polluted river’s slow rebirth is hopefully still alive and well, gnawing away on tree branches for his riverbank lodge inside the protective grounds of the New York Botanical Garden.
His fans and river supporters became concerned last month when scuba and harbor unit cops patrolling the East River near the United Nations for the Pope’s visit rescued a beaver floundering in the water there.
Named after Rep. Jose Serrano (D-Bronx), who has pumped federal money into cleaning up the river, Jose had not been spotted for some time, and his fans fear the nocturnal furry guy might have been drawn downriver, attracted by the bright lights of the big city.
Cops said the animal they spotted midday in the East River on April 18 was tilted unnaturally and showed labored breathing.
They lassoed the struggling 40-pound, 4-foot-long male with a safety noose and hauled it aboard the harbor patrol boat.
Unfortunately, the animal later died as it was being transported to an upstate animal clinic.
Stephen Sautner, assistant director of conservation communications at the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo, said it has been awhile since anyone has actually seen Jose.
“The last I heard of a confirmed sighting on the Bronx River property was in August last year during some of the herring surveys along the river,” he said. “Someone even clicked a photo. Nothing confirmed since then.”
But Sautner offered some hope Jose is alive and well.
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