So yesterday’s post about the uppity dogpark beavers in Alberta prompted me to write a couple letters to the media and powers that be. I actually got a response back from a local paper, which seemed like a good sign that protest to the decision to kill the beavers was brewing. They even visited our website and snagged a photo or two. Lo and behold, look at the lovely headline this morning!
Pet owners defend killer beavers
People in Red Deer, Alta., want the city to move, rather than kill, beavers that have attacked at least six dogs in an off-leash park.Media attention has led to offers from private property owners to allow the beavers to live on their land, Poth told CBC News on Thursday. Parks staff are exploring those options, but killing the beavers has not been ruled out as a worst-case scenario.
Ahhh now that’s worthy of a big beaver grin! Not to mention the delightful footage of the muskrat pretending to be a beaver for some lazy cameramen who think beavers are the size of puppies. Go CBC! (Maybe its a baby beaver?) (By itself! In broad daylight?)
On Thursday, two landowners offered space on their properties for the beavers, after reports of beaver attacking dogs at the off-leash dog park last week. “What we’re really working on right now is ensuring that the sites where we’d be relocating the beavers to are appropriate for the long-term health of the beaver and its family,” said city parks superintendent Trevor Poth.
Long term health? Your concerns shifted from ‘crushed to death’ to ‘long term health’ in an afternoon? Well I’m pretty sure that wherever you stick those beavers they’ll be better off than they would be if you killed them. But it would help to know how many you have, this ‘six to twelve’ vagueness isn’t promising. You mean your facts could be off base by 50 percent? Is that typical for your city? Just checking, but you do have actual beavers, right? Because I’m pretty sure those little swimmers on the video aren’t beavers…Come to think of it has someone actually seen a dog getting bitten by a beaver? I mean you know for a fact that we’re not talking about a coyote attack or some feral dog that got left in the park years ago whose a great swimmer and attacks in the water because its where he’s stronger? Someone’s actually seen the teethmarks and noticed their flat sharp cuts? not pointy?
“We’re a little unclear whether it’s one or more. Beaver identification is pretty challenging,” Poth said.
I really, really believe that, Mr. Poth. Here’s my guess. Assuming they’ve indeed happened, the attacks have been a yearling, that is just ‘feeling his oats’. Mom and Dad know other ways to stay out of doggie paths and if they wanted your pooches dead they’d just grab on and dive down to start holding their breath. Chasing off a big dog is full of ‘flourish’ and more like a teenager than a parent. The kits are probably not out much yet, certainly when dogs are around, since your summer is later than ours, but yearlings are protective of them. So you probably have somewhere in the vicinity of 6-8 beavers. (Mom, Dad, two yearlings, two-four new kits). Make sure you get all the kits and you don’t leave some babies orphaned. Imagine how many news stories that would get?
Beyond the misleading muskrats, the worrisome part of the video is the comment that “fencing would reduce the beavers territory”. Aside from the obvious existential observation that death would also reduce vastly their territory, there doesn’t appear to be much effort to think about the differing skill sets of the different species here. A waterline fence would keep out dogs, but not beavers, who swim just as well underneath the water. Your beavers have to deal with “natural fencing” every winter when they swim under the ice and make their way out of their lodge and to their food cache. They would be just fine with a fence, thank you very much, and it could protect their young until their large enough to do it on their own.
I’m thrilled that the city has had the sense to realize that any story with 300 media reports in 2 days is not a good place to display your stubbornness or lack of compassion. But live trapping beavers isn’t a mindless guarantee of their survival. Sherri Tippie is about 1500 miles directly south of you, but she knows more about relocating beavers than anyone on the planet. At least pick up the phone and have a conversation with her. Also you might want to figure out how many you have there, first. Beaver stake-out, anyone?
