Coaxing a very sleepy beaver out of its snug “nest” and into its morning bath is a skill in and of itself.

DaLyn Erickson-Marthaler is down on her knees, crawling inside a wire pet crate.

“I know, it’s terrible to wake up like this,” she says softly to the beaver as she scoops him up in her arms, one hand under his big, flat tail, and whisks him off for a weigh-in and then the tub.

It’s the start of another day in the rehabilitation journey of six beavers injured in a recent diesel fuel spill at Willard Bay. For more than 40 days now, the animals have received care for burns, skin abscesses and gastrointestinal problems in their new “lodge” at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah.