Surrey resident cleaning up garbage to protect a local beaver

A beaver swims in a swamp near Scott Road Station. (Credit: Rory Pozzolo)

A Surrey, B.C., man with a passion for keeping his city clean has made it his mission to keep a local beaver safe and happy.

Rory Pozzolo says he’s been picking up garbage for some time, primarily focusing on his neighbourhood near Scott Road SkyTrain Station lately. During a recent cleanup, Pozzolo told CTV News he saw a beaver swimming through a swampy river near 110 Avenue while walking with his father and felt inspired to take his cleanup efforts to the next level.

“Seeing any nature in the neighbourhood, whether it’s the ducks or the beaver, it reminds me that they aren’t cleaning up the trash,” he said.

“When you work a nine-to-five, you finish at five o’clock. You’ve got like four hours left in the day, [so] you may as well go out with a bag and get some fresh air … I like to take it upon myself.”

The beaver has made itself known to Pozzolo close to a dozen times, seeing it five times, but hearing its tail smacking the water for the rest. He says this seems like the beaver is popping out of its lodge and trying to say, “What the heck is in my swamp?”

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Pozzolo’s efforts garnered attention in a Reddit post in which he asked locals to keep wildlife like this beaver in mind before skipping the walk to the trash bin. His call to action gained appreciation from some and inspired others to start cleaning up their own neighbourhoods.

“This cannot be good for the nature that’s in this area and the creatures that call this home,” he wrote in the post. “Please remember to track your garbage out with you so that we can all enjoy our nature responsibly.”

In a statement to CTV News, the BC SPCA stressed the importance of cleaning up plastic and other waste, explaining that “dozens of animals” are admitted to Wild ARC every year after getting tangled up in plastic, ropes, fishing gear, and much more.

“Overall, about 80 per cent of the animals admitted to Wild ARC are in trouble because of something related to human activity – and garbage in the environment is just one of those impacts,” said Wild Animal Welfare Manager Andrea Wallace. “Sadly, the consequences are deadly, and not all animals harmed by garbage in the environment are found or found in time to receive help.”

The BC SPCA requests that people enjoying the outdoors employ a “carry out what they carry in” policy and consider participating in group cleanups along local shorelines or in parks.

“Canada has the longest coastline in the world, as well as thousands of lakes and rivers, so virtually every Canadian lives near some sort of shoreline and can make a meaningful difference,” Wallace added.

Pozzolo has been doing his part in his neighbourhood, and he says others have been following his example, starting with his roommate and another person living in his building.