Table G. Animals Taken by Component/Method Type and Fate by Wildlife Services in California – FY 2009
Total Beavers Killed by USDA in 2009: 1297
California used the USDA to kill about twice the average number of beavers in 2009. Go here to see the stats for yourself and substitute the “CA” in the address for any abbreviation to get the stats for that particular state. This is about what I’d expect but more shooting of beavers than I would have thought. I wasn’t sure about “Spotlight” as a technique so I went and found this horrifically descriptive article. It sounded at first like there might be some kind of disorienting effect from the light (which we haven’t seen) but it turns out it just helps with aim. Apparently it refers to identifying the lodge and shining a spotlight on the beavers when they come out so you can see more clearly how see to shoot them. I’ll spare you any more grisly details.
Leonard Houston, who is collaborating with SURCP and the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Indian Tribe to organize the beaver conference in Oregon next week (!) sends this email about beaver deaths and APHIS in Oregon. He graciously agreed to let me post it as a guest blog. Brace yourselves.
Although APHIS counts some 700 beavers dealt with annually per state, they also estimate that this is probably 50% or less than what are actually killed, so we could double their number and add between 3000 to 5000 animals which are trapped for pelts and recreation in States supporting active populations and suddenly one years kill exceeds the beaver population of any given State.
Most States conservatively place their beaver populations between 30 and 60 thousand animals, these are the States with what is considered sustainable populations and are therefore not concerned by over-trapping or lethal management. The president of the Oregon Trappers Association tells us that trappers across Oregon and especially the Willamette Valley have stopped trapping beavers due to rapid decline in population. He is more concerned with WHAT (not who) is killing our beavers – shrinking habitat, chemical contaminants from pesticides and herbicides and a negative perception of the animal all contribute greatly to population decline.
Any way I don’t mean to ramble just wanted to encourage you, this article hits the nail squarely on the HEAD.
Leonard and Lois Houston Beaver Advocacy Committee (541)825-3008 beavers@surcp.org Thousands have lived without love, Nothing lives without water.I promise, only good news tomorrow. We saw GQ last night and I have three new theories about our beavers to share with you. Stay tuned!
