For some of you fellow Canadians teachers abroad who may be out of the loop on our nation’s top stories, let us apprise you of the gripping topic up for debate that is, our national animal: Beaver vs Polar Bear

Our dentally defective friend the beaver is under review as our national animal and could be replaced by the polar bear. One argument made in support of this change is that many people abroad do not even know what a beaver is when asked.  Another point raised was that the polar bear is a more appropriate symbol of our northern land. What about the rest of Canada! Beavers can be seen in almost all part of Canada, but most of Canadians have never seen a polar bear!

The extremely hard working rodent sporting a snuggy coat of shinny fur (which had a huge impact on the trade and colonization North America) begs the question: What has the beaver done to deserve this scrutiny? Or is there something to this argument? How many times abroad have you found yourself explaining at length over a pint what a beaver is and why they are awesome? It is always good fun learning about other countries and getting the chance educating those who feel the Canadian icons of culture are ice hockey, great beer and Celine Dion. While these are things to be proud of, expand your repertoire of Canadian facts and play a round of Canada-opoly: The Ultimate Board Game.  Even some Canadians are stumped with asked “What is our national animal”.

Without the beaver, Canada would not have come up the culinary magic of The Beaver Tail, aka the Canadian donut. Share a piece of the beaver love abroad and cook up a batch for your friends (because as cute as polar bears are, their tails just don’t measure up).

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/canadian-fried-dough-from-a-real-canadian/detail.aspx