Beavers chew through cable, knock out Internet service to 900 customers

April 26 (UPI) -- A Canadian telecommunications company said about 900 customers in a British Columbia town lost Internet service when beavers chewed through a fiber cable.

Telus said customers in Tumbler Ridge lost service at 4 a.m. Saturday, and repair crews discovered beavers had chewed through an important fiber cable at multiple points.

Liz Sauve, a spokeswoman for Telus, said in an email to CBC News that it was a "very bizarre and uniquely Canadian turn of events."

"Our team located a nearby dam, and it appears the beavers dug underground alongside the creek to reach our cable, which is buried about 3 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," Sauve wrote.

Repair crews captured photos showing pieces of Telus equipment being used by the beavers to build their dams.

The company said Internet service to Tumbler Ridge was restored fully by Sunday afternoon.