When I'm in Ushuaia I always stay at the same hotel, which is owned by a very nice family. This year one of them, Juan, took us to a spot outside town, close to Ruta 3 to see a small beaver colony. Beavers are a mixed blessing in Tierra del Fuego, I guess. Introduced at some point for their fur, they started to roam free, they have no real natural enemies, and now they are considered a plague. The tourists may like to have a look at them, they are a threat to the original Fuegian ecosystems.
We just sat and watched them for a couple of hours, virtually by the side of the road, and I did enjoy that. They are careful animals, coming out to inspect the area, just swimming around for a while only to disappear again. It took them quite a while to come out of the water onto the banks of their selfmade lake to eat, always keeping an eye on the surroundings. They came quite close to us at times, and seemed to be taking a look at us, though they didn't seem disturbed. They are beautiful animals, furry and with a huge tail.
By the way, Juan also gave me a Calafate berry to eat which he found growing close to the colony. That means I will return to Tierra del Fuego some day.
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