These ‘urban beavers’ are now a viral sensation and the subject of a walking tour

Mike Digout, also known as Saskatoon's "Beaver Guy" has garnered quite the following by highlighting the urban beavers that call the South Saskatchewan River home. (Courtesy: Mike Digout)

When Mike Digout began going on nightly walks along the South Saskatchewan River as a hobby during the pandemic, he didn’t expect it to lead to him being known as Saskatoon’s “beaver guy.”

“My wife and I live in a fairly small house, and apparently I can be annoying sometimes, and she said, ‘You have to find a reason to get out of the house,’” Digout said.

“It was beautiful and quiet, because there was no one by the river. And I saw a beaver, and I followed it for the rest of the evening, and it led me back to its lodge, and there were several beavers swimming around in the, dusk lighting. And I thought it was so cool because I always loved the wildlife.”

Digout returned the next day with a camera to capture the beavers. After this routine resulted in so many pictures and videos, he eventually created a social media page dedicated to sharing content featuring the beavers, and other wildlife along the river.

“It very quickly became a daily hobby where I would go to the river and try to find the beavers and take pictures ... and every now and then I would capture a moment that went a little viral ... since then, it’s become a very regular part of my life,” he explained.

Digout now has more than 15,000 followers on Instagram. The wildlife enthusiast shared that he has been pleasantly surprised to receive so much positive feedback regarding his content.

“The fact that my beaver hobby puts eyes on what I’m doing and brings joy to people makes me feel great. I get a lot of messages from people saying, ‘We love your page,’ a lot of seniors will write me and say, ‘This is great. I can’t get out to the river, and your page makes it feel like I’m there,’” he recalled.

“Anytime I hear from someone that a little photo or video that I posted made their day better, that just makes me feel great.”

Digout joked that he has become a recognizable figure along the South Saskatchewan River thanks to his social media stardom.

“Especially along the riverbank here. A lot of the regulars, if they see my shiny bald head near the river, that there’s a good chance there’s a beaver nearby,” Digout said.

Thanks to the growing interest in Saskatoon wildlife that Digout’s page has stirred, the Meewasin Valley Authority has created a new weekly walking tour to feature Digout and his beavers.

“I love Mike Digout so much. Saskatoon’s beaver guy is everything and all things to everybody here in the city. His love for the beavers has just been infectious,” Samantha Cowan, the Senior Tourism Coordinator for Meewasin Valley Authority told CTV News.

Meewasin has previously hosted beaver tours in Beaver Creek. However, Cowan shared that the recent interest in urban beavers sparked the idea.

“There are eight active beaver lodges within the urban limits of the city, so why not bring people down into the downtown space? We can still do the same beaver tour that we were doing out at Beaver Creek, but we’re seeing a lot of activity downtown, and it’s so cool to go on the naturalize trail downtown,” Cowan said.

Digout is a frequent guest on these tours, and he shared that the first one was a success.

“The people that joined us last week on the opening tour seem to love it. They couldn’t believe how much they learned. We saw muskrat, mink and some beavers, and, all around it was very well received,” Digout said.

Cowan shared that the tour is intended to highlight the history and significance of the Saskatoon weirs, in addition to how beavers have adapted to living in Saskatoon.

“We’ll go exploring down onto the naturalized trail where, hopefully you’ll get to see some beavers, but also see some really cool things about, how the beavers have adapted to the river and how they’ve changed the river just along the trail you’re going through,” Cowan said.

Digout told CTV News that he never expected his hobby to grow into what it has, but he plans to continue sharing his adventures along the South Saskatchewan for as long as he is able.

“It feels great, I love the fact that people are interested in what I do. I especially love the fact that people get enjoyment from what I do. So if I could share a video, photo or some knowledge and it helps improve someone’s day puts a smile on someone’s face, I love it,” Digout said.

Tickets for the Monday night beaver tours are available on the Meewasin Valley Authority website.