Beaver wandering inside Toronto subway station prompts rush hour closure

Beaver found wandering in TTC station An entrance to a Toronto subway station was momentarily closed due to an unexpected furry commuter.

TORONTO — An entrance to a Toronto subway station was temporarily closed due to a wandering beaver.

According to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the beaver strolled into Royal York Subway Station on Bloor Street, near the Humber Marshes, early Thursday morning.

As a result, the TTC  temporarily closed the Grenview entrance to the station “due to an animal in distress.” The station entrance has since reopened.

A transit user captured a photo of the beaver at the Grenview entrance and posted it to Twitter.

The TTC says the city, police and animal control were notified.

"For all those wondering, Rascal, the Royal York beaver, is safe and with animal services," TTC spokesperson Stuart Green added.

The beaver was released back into the wild later in the morning.Toronto Animal Services said that the animal appears to be healthy.

"'Nickel' the Beaver was clearly afraid and stressed to find himself amongst so many people, but was healthy, with clear eyes and a slapping tail – all signs of a healthy beaver," animal services said on Twitter.

Animal services added a special thank you to an "Officer Peter" who assisted with the rescue.

"The hardworking beaver is a common sight in Toronto, but due to a nocturnal work schedule we don’t often get calls about them. If you see any wildlife, please contact @311toronto so we can come to assess the situation & help if we are needed. Never approach or feed wildlife."