Roger Kelley was walking his dog on Sunday in Fish Creek Park when he came across a trap with a beaver head in it. He is upset that beaver traps would be set in an area popular with people and animals. He went back and posted signs warning people, but the trap had already been removed.
Photograph by: Lorraine Hjalte, Calgary Herald, Calgary Herald
I was sent this article yesterday by Catherine Ens who we met during the St. Catherine’s beaver bruhaha. It seems Mr. Kelley was walking his dog through the park and came a cross a severed beaver head in a spring trap. Nice visual. Officials say they have to control the population and an animal had dragged it out of the water over night. Mr. Kelley’s upset because that could have been Fido and feels the park should post signs that there are traps in the water. To be fair, it’s the problem-solving-skills I’m calling ‘classless’, Mr. Kelley’s just…speciest….is that a word?
One could quip that maybe the park staff are worried about putting up warning signs because it would give the beavers such a head start but I recently saw this which makes the whole thing a little more clear.
Traps were set underwater by a Village-hired trapper at the lake and lagoon last weekend to kill the beavers. Town staff said it was believed to be the best immediate solution. The traps were removed just two days later, after people began springing the devices and tossing them into deep water. Traps had also been stolen.
“We had put these in restricted areas … but people kept going in there and triggering the traps. That’s dangerous and we had a concern for public safety,” said David Durrant, manager of community services for the Village of Cumberland.
See, if they put a sign out everyone will try to save the beavers and spring or steal the traps, and if they don’t put a sign out the dog-walkers will complain its not safe! Poor Park officials! They’re damned if they do and dammed if they don’t! (Get it?). Hey, Fish Creek Park, I have an idea! How about you earn some major brownie points by solving the beaver problems without trapping! You go to the hardware store and pick up some PVC pipe and wire, spend an hour eating popcorn and watching Mike’s DVD and then use some boyscouts to install a flow device and control your water problem so that the beavers stay! I bet your fish will thank you for it, and you can borrow some binoculars so you can sit back and watch all the wildife that’s drawn to that pond.
What am I saying? That’s too logical. I guess they’d rather deal with this.
If you’re at all like me you need cheering up after that beaver-head story. Might I recommend this video, pointed out to me by Lory yesterday. I promise it will make you smile, and think about age difference because these babies are three months old. Pretty different than beavers at three months. Enjoy!
