Beaver and muskrat rescued at Tempe Town Lake

Earlier this week, we told you about closures at Tempe Town Lake due to flooding from the weather. Yeah, shortly after, well, some unique creatures were found in the water and they needed to be rescued. Our Taylor Wertz is joining us live now to explain. Taylor. Steve and Ellen Park Rangers pulled a beaver and muskrat out of this lake here in Tempe on Tuesday. Those caring for the pair say they were exhausted and scared, but they're hoping they'll make a full recovery. Staff at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in North Scottsdale, never know what kind of creature is going to come through their doors. You kind of just never know what your day is going to look like. But Monday night, they got a call about some unusual patients at Tempe Town Lake. We got a call from the Tempe park rangers down there. And they had kept an eye on several beavers and several animals down in the lake area that possibly needed to be rescued. There was a lot of water coming down the Salt River, the Verde River, just like a natural flood that washed some of the animals downstream and into Tempe Town Lake. The park rangers had rescued the beaver and its tiny companion, which turned out to be a muskrat. While these animals may pass through from surrounding waterways. Beavers are in the waterways, you just don't see them a lot. They don't live in Tempe Town Lake. That's not an area where they would build a lodge and build a dam because that's man-made concrete. SWCC staff say both animals, especially the beaver, were in rough shape. Both of them were very exhausted, lethargic, not wanting to get up and move around. They think well-meaning onlookers kept the beaver from getting the rest it needed to heal. So the medical team stepped in. And while they're not out of the woods yet, the beaver does have aspiration pneumonia, which can happen when they intake a lot of water unexpectedly. Staff say they're cautiously optimistic the pair will heal. I think the big first hurdle is just getting that beaver to start eating. So they can be released back into the wild. Wild animals are really resilient and this beaver had a lot of chub on him, so that's good. The group is hoping to release and rehabilitate the animals as soon as possible. We'll keep you updated with any information on their recovery. Live in Tempe, Taylor Wertz, Fox 10 News.