OPEN POST: Aspen and Juniper Beaver's Love Story

It didn't seem like Aspen and Juniper would ever be the couple the Smithsonian Zoo hoped they would be. You see, Juniper is only one year old, and Aspen is the older gentleman with a broken heart. His former partner died and left him to fend for himself as a bachelor. His former wife wasn't all that loving or kind, so Aspen has never really known real monogamous beaver love. It said she tolerated him but was indifferent to his presence. 

Enter the young cutie Juniper, who arrived just to make sure Aspen didn't perish from loneliness or too much time as a singleton. After a long period of time meeting between the mesh fence, the fence was lifted, and...Aspen, the cad, bit Juniper on her tail. Naughty boy, but we must forgive him. He has pent-up anger toward the girls because of his, let's face it, emotionally abusive former partner. 

Back to the mesh between them and another introduction process that cat owners know well. Let them mark each other's territory and get used to the meshed scents. This went on for a while before the mesh was lifted once again. 

This time, Aspen behaved himself, and they began to share the love lodge that Aspen had been calling home. No aggressive moves, and they seem to enjoy each other and have started to groom each other. Cozy. Beavers enjoy being coupled up, and now Aspen has a wife who loves and accepts him, and they live very peacefully together. She's a young thing, so she's not ready to breed yet, but next year, the hopes are high for beaver kits.