At around 4AM last Saturday, around 900 Telus customers in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, lost internet access. According to Telus spokesperson Liz Sauvé, in a "very bizarre and uniquely Canadian turn of events," a beaver chewed through several points in a crucial fibre cable, causing "extensive" damage and eventually leaving the community without internet.
"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. The beavers first chewed through the conduit before chewing through the cable in multiple locations," the statement said.
via CBC
Sauvé said that beavers had been using Telus materials to build their home. Additional crews and equipment were brought out to expose the cable and see how far the damage went up the line. Technicians also had a hard time due to the ground above the cable being partially frozen. Service was restored around 3:30pm local time, but cellphone services would be touch-and-go until the cable was properly repaired.
