It seems like just days ago that Ben Goldfarb was privately admonishing me for berating the fact that the New York Times has never managed to print even a positive paragraph about beavers. I believe his exact words were “Never say never”. Well yesterday they reminded me how greatly they dislike the rodent. Even finding time in an article about yuppies escaping to the country to mention how horrible they were.

They Fled for Greener Pastures, and There Were Weeds

City dwellers, who retreated to rural areas in the pandemic, now see drawbacks, from pests and social isolation to the difficulty of finding day care and health care

For Andrew Joseph, the unexpected challenge of rural living was summed up in a single word: beavers. Mr. Joseph was enchanted by baby beavers swimming in the brook on his four-acre property in the town of Saugerties, N.Y., where he and his partner, Paul Pearson, have been sheltering since March 2020.

“I quickly learned that they’re horrible, nasty creatures that wreak havoc and destruction,” said Mr. Joseph, the head of a Manhattan public relations firm who still maintains a home in Harlem. The beavers dammed the brook in three places, creating a swamp behind the house, and built a den that is “the size of a small van.” (more…)