Canadian Internet Service Downed By Beavers Chewing Cables: Report

Now, here is something you don’t see every day: An Internet service provider whose customers lost connection due to beavers chewing up a cable.

What Happened: According to a CBC report, approximately 900 Telus Corporation TU customers in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, lost their Internet service around 4 a.m. on Saturday. Telus quickly dispatched its technicians to determine the cause of the disruption and found a unique problem where the animal kingdom took its revenge on human encroachment within its realm.

“Our team located a nearby dam, and it appears the beavers dug underground alongside the creek to reach our cable, which is buried about three feet underground and protected by a 4.5-inch thick conduit,” said the company in a press statement. “The beavers first chewed through the conduit before chewing through the cable in multiple locations.”

Why Did It Happen: The beavers’ chomping was not based on appetite cravings — despite its name, there is no dietary fiber to be found in fiber cables. Instead, Telus determined the beavers dismantled cable, brought the materials back to their dam, and used it to fortify the structure.

Service was eventually resumed by 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Telus spokesperson Liz Sauvé described the situation as a “very bizarre and uniquely Canadian turn of events.”

Related Link: Wireless Customers At Canada's Rogers Communications Report Service Outages

(Photo by Steve Raubenstine / Pixabay.)