What a relief to know that the folks in St Johns NL aren’t getting any smarter than our cynicism would expect. Remember this city is on the very edge of the very edge of Canada almost in the Atlantic Ocean, and just North East of PEI which we know is notorious for beaver retardation. This is pretty much what you’d expect from a town that never read a book or looked at the internet.
N.L. town calls in trapper to deal with pesky beavers clearcutting trees
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A Newfoundland town has called in a trapper to deal with a group of pesky beavers that have been felling trees on private property — in some cases onto power lines.
But in recent years, the rodents have developed an affinity for trees in residential areas, clearcutting as many as 14 on one property in a single night.
Keith Park, a municipal enforcement officer with the town, said the beavers have become more brazen because new developments have been built closer to their homes.
“You’ll see them sometimes, swimming along the river bank — I guess they’re kind of scoping out where their next venture is,” Park said.
There are a number of beaver dams along the Humber River, but one large dwelling in particular — estimated at about three metres wide — is believed to be the source of the intrusive group because of its proximity to a residential street.
Get that? There are a number of dams on the river but they’ve spotted ONE in particular that has the bad beavers living in it. Because there’s no difference between a lodge and a dam and you can tell the morality of a beaver just by its address.
The provincial Department of Fisheries and Land Resources arranged for a trapper “to address complaints regarding nuisance beavers causing residential property damage,” according to a statement.
Park said the town will avoid disturbing beavers living in other parts of the river that haven’t been approaching private properties. As of Tuesday, the trapper reported six beavers have been caught and the issue appears to have abated for now, Park said.
Park said most residents in the hardest-hit area seem happy to see the beavers gone, but there has been some resistance to additional trapping.
The trapper reported he will remove traps from an area just outside town because someone has been intentionally setting them off, Park said.
The town is keeping an eye on the other beaver dwellings and Park said people are prepared for more visits in years to come, as more animals may move into the same dwelling.
“This (beaver) house has been there probably 10 or 15 years now,” Park said. “This will reoccur.”
“We killed the offending family, and I guess your trees are safe enough for now”. Never mind that new beavers will come soon and everyone knows this isn’t the end of anything. Too bad my urban booklet isn’t finished yet or I might send them one.
But it is coming along fairly nicely. Flip through the pages and take a peak why don’t you? There’s one and a half still blank in the center, but go through to the end. You can zoom in or share,
One last treat for the dedicated. I found this video by accident the other day. Doesn’t it look like this beaver is thinking about building a lodge from ice?
