AquaZoo helps wild beavers understand with sound research

Beavers communicate among themselves about changes in their habitat and move together to observe new objects. This was one of the results of an innovative study of beaver behavior at AquaZoo, using equipment from software company Viralcom B.V. The study was commissioned by STOWA (Stichting Toegepast Onderzoek Waterbeheer), with the aim of better understanding beaver behavior and migration patterns as well as early warning of risks to dikes.

For this study, Viralcom placed two egg-shaped devices containing a monitoring system in the water. The Egg is an advanced acoustic system that records underwater sounds 24/7 without producing any noise. In total, it provided 182 hours of sound. The system appears to be able to distinguish beaver sounds with high accuracy.

Ina Simic, owner of Viralcom and developer of the technology, explains: "Thanks to a self-learning system, sounds such as swimming, digging, dragging branches and communication between beavers can be recognized and classified. This provides unique insights into the daily behavior of beavers, without affecting their habitat."

Successful test phase in AquaZoo

During the first test period at AquaZoo, test models of The Egg were placed in the enclosure for two weeks. The beavers barely reacted to the presence of the devices, showing that the technology does not affect the animals' behavior. Then the real sensors were installed, which collected more than 182 hours of raw data from four beavers (three females and one male).

"At AquaZoo, we think it's important to contribute to scientific research that makes a difference," said William Kreijkes, head of animal care at AquaZoo. "By participating in this project, we help better understand how beavers behave. That is of great importance for wildlife management and water safety in the Netherlands."

Next step

With the research at AquaZoo as a solid foundation, The Egg is now being further tested in open nature reserves, including the Biesbosch and at various water boards. In these environments, the system is being further trained and validated to continue to work reliably under varying conditions. The next phase focuses on expanding the sound database, for example by recording and classifying new sound patterns such as digging activities.

In addition, they will investigate how beavers use their burrows and whether specific patterns can be identified in them. The research team also wants to gain more insight into why and when beavers change location - knowledge that can be of great value for wildlife management and ecological research.