With Ecuador stepping in, it looks like the Swedes won’t get everything they want right away…but apparently there are compensations. Although Sweden remained neutral during WWI and II, this headline gleefully announces their pacifism only extends so far…
Local authorities prepare to hunt Swedish beavers
In their application to the county council, the municipality board asked for all the animals to be shot, but they were only granted permission to shoot one adult animal and any potential young beavers born last year. The flooding has reportedly been a nuisance for residents in the Aspö area of Skaraborg, where some football fields have become waterlogged and walking paths flooded.
This is a country that has enough brilliant minds to know better than to use a shooting spree to solve a problem that could be easily fixed with a flow device. Especially when the “solution” is going to wreak havoc on countless species in the area. In fact they might want to plan on heading south next month to attend the 6th international beaver conference in Croatia where experts will go over the solutions in detail. Day three is all about biodiversity.
How do I know the Swedes know better than this? An upset biologist is quoted in the article ‘
“Imagine having these fine creatures so close to the town. The flooding isn’t their fault,” said disgruntled field biologist Manne Ryttman to local paper Skaraborgs Allehanda. “It is completely wrong to shoot them, they are useful and an integral part of the Swedish fauna,” Ryttman told Skövde Nyheter.
Right there with you, Manne. And check out this commenter (‘Keith’) whom I feel is a powerful beaver advocate waiting in the wings…Worth A Dam Swedish office?
Of course, their ponds are of absolutely no use to any other life forms – birds that are attracted, fish that spawn, frogs that breed, insect life that is rejuvenated in the pond area.
Vegetation increases around the pond area and the diversity of life in that area is increased.
Respectfully, Eric 1, nature has it’s own ways of balancing the equations. You are only expressing one aspect of the equation.
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On a brighter, less beaver-killing note, our Kentucky-based stop-motion wizard of beaver creek fame released a new film last night and I can only say that it’s worth the short time it will take you to watch, and probably the time it will take you to comment with praise afterwards. Ian is a remarkably gifted young man and I’m going to predict that you will hear his name again and again in the next 50 years.
Finally, Cheryl stopped by to take this beautiful photo last night of Junior in action. I love the lighting and the moment she captured here.
