Freshwater coypu spotted on Epanomi beach — watch video

A uncommon show greeted those who were astatine Epanomi formation successful Thessaloniki yesterday, arsenic a freshwater coypu remained motionless, staring astatine them. The coypu stayed wholly inactive for hours astatine the spot, visibly exhausted from its aquatics successful the sea.

“Geronimo,” arsenic helium was named by his rescuers, is believed to person either go disoriented and entered the sea, oregon to person been carried distant from a stream aft dense rainfall and, with the assistance of oversea currents, ended up connected Epanomi beach. The carnal weighs 7 kilos and is considered to beryllium young.

What is unusual, however, is that the coypu lives successful rivers—i.e. successful freshwater conditions—and it is highly unusual however it ended up swimming successful the oversea and yet managed to scope the shore.

Members of an carnal payment relation alerted the well-known wildlife handler of the “Rescue and Reintroduction into the Wild” team, Stelios Geronymakis, who rushed to the country and recovered the coypu.

“It is not a beaver but a coypu. It doesn’t person the level process that beavers have, and successful quality it looks similar a ample rat. However, its anatomy is different akin (to a beaver), its teeth are large, orange, and astir 3 finger-widths long,” Mr. Geronymakis described to thestival.gr.

As helium explained, the coypu was recovered yesterday connected Epanomi beach. “I was informed yesterday that a mysterious carnal had been staying successful the aforesaid spot connected the formation for 3 hours. I went determination with a nett and caught it,” helium said, adding that it was sitting motionless connected the shore.

“It was sitting inactive close wherever the waves interruption connected the shore, and erstwhile I went to drawback it, it tried to spell backmost into the sea,” Mr. Geronymakis noted, explaining that it is “strange however the coypu ended up there, arsenic it is simply a taxon that lives successful freshwater,” specified arsenic lakes and rivers.

Mr. Geronymakis estimates that the carnal whitethorn person been swept distant aft dense rainfall from a stream that flows into the sea, specified arsenic the Axios oregon the Aliakmonas, “and yet ended up connected Epanomi formation done the currents.”

As helium said, instantly aft catching it with a net, helium took it to his location successful bid to lukewarm it up, arsenic the young coypu “was shaking similar a fish,” and helium adjacent placed a heating pad nether the cage to lukewarm it.

For now, the coypu “is not moving much,” inactive appears frightened, possibly besides exhausted from its oversea ordeal, portion Mr. Geronymakis said helium volition interaction the Veterinary School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki truthful helium tin “transfer it determination for further examination, provided of people that the schoolhouse has the unit to grip this peculiar animal.”