A Wild Start to the Week at American Tobacco: Barry the Beaver Tries Out Old Bull River

Barry the Beaver, named by American Tobacco security, found his way into the Old Bull River on campus on Monday, January 30, 2023.

You never know what a workday at Capitol Broadcasting will entail. On Monday, January 30, 2023, American Tobacco staffers saw proof positive of that fact when they found a beaver swimming in the Old Bull River on campus. The man-made river is not a suitable habitat for a wild animal, although the critter dubbed Barry the Beaver by security staff, was making his confused self right at home.

Talk about breaking news Barry was a big hit! said ATC Events & Property Experience Director Valerie Ward.

Barry garnered a good bit of attention from tenants arriving at work. ATC Senior Maintenance Mechanic Joe Thorpe snapped a few lo-res photos of Barry around 5:30am in the North Parking Deck.

Barry must have made his way into the center of campus undetected during the early hours, said ATC Operations Manager Rich MacLeod. We got our first report around 8 am and started making phone calls right away. It wasn't until 11 am that we made contact with a wildlife removal specialist that was willing to come trap and remove him from the campus. At 4:30 pm, Barry was caught to be relocated just South of campus.

All Capcom can figure is that Barry must have heard that Sir Walter Wally, Raleigh's Groundhog, is retiring and wanted to vie for his job.

It was too dark to release him yesterday, so he was released this morning, said Ward on Tuesday. The community really rallied around Barry and his relocation.

WRAL-TV reported on Barry's surprise appearance, along with an interview with a biologist from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Falyn Owens shared tips and warnings on encountering wild animals:

WRAL.com: Barry' the beaver spotted in river at Durham's American Tobacco Campus

Thanks to DBBC's Rembis, Paxton Rembis for this Capcom photo & to ATC's Valerie Ward for this Capcom video.

LINK:	https://capitolbroadcasting.com/2023/02/01/a-wild-start-to-the-week-at...
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