That’s what’s exhausting about beaver work. It’s one step forward two steps back. It can feel like all our hard work amounts to nothing. At least it feels that way to Doug Knutson, the defender of the Belleville beavers.
You might remember Belleville from their excellent interview on Furbearer Defenders, or the fact
that Doug is a filmmaker at Windswept Studios in Canada, or that they had Skip Lisle out last year for a training in installing flow devices. They were a success story.
Now they’re the other kind of story.
Senseless killing of our national symbol: McCaw
A Belleville councillor calls the city’s killing of beavers that were causing flooding in the city’s east end, as “troublesome.”
At this week’s virtual meeting of city council, Councillor Kelly McCaw was referring to a staff report that indicated four beavers had been removed and euthanized.
McCaw referred to 11 emails the city had received from citizens in the east end, “lobbying for the senseless killing of our national symbol.”
Doug did everything right. Reached out to friends. Got public attention. Earned the support of the city. Brought in Skip Lisle. How could this have gone wrong?
AND IN JUNE???
She added she didn’t blame the staff. “I want them to know I certainly don’t blame them for doing their job. Who I do blame, really, is the Ministry of Natural Resources. I consider them, in my personal opinion, to have not been helpful in any situation pertaining to beavers. From my perspective they’re nothing short of a propaganda arm for organizations like the fur managers. Relocation should be an option for us, but thanks to the ministry of natural resources that isn’t an option, and here we have a couple of beavers that have been euthanized because we have no option.”
Hear that? If we just could have MOVED them we wouldn’t have had to kill them. I don’t blame the murdering staff. I blame the rules.
Dear dear girl, don’t you realize if these beavers were moved new ones would have come? The same thing would have happened all over again. Either you learn to solve the problem or you keep on killing them. It’s that simple.
A report by Manager of Transportation and Operations Joseph Reid notes that staff has been using mitigating measures in the Belle Creek area.
After many calls from residents citing water levels and unmanageable issues, the city retained a Water Resources Engineer who recommended to remove some beavers from Bell Creek.
The city started live trapping May 27. A total of four beavers were live trapped and “dispatched humanely.”
Reid adds, “We believe there are still beavers in the area and will monitor the area. The flooding has been resolved for the time being.”
May, as you know, is not really a time of flooding. Or of beaver building up the dam. Temperatures are in the high 60’s and rainfall is about 3.2 millimeters a month. So not a time to hit the sudden flood.
But hey, about the time to be nice enough outside to do some trapping. And since everyone’s in quarantine, well that’s an added benefit.
Oh you know what else happens around May? Kits are born. But you knew that didn’t you.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk says there was a safety problem with flooding and under provincial rules beavers can only be moved a short distance. McCaw says she will do some research before presenting a motion to lobby the province to allow a longer relocation distance.
Hmm. I’m glad you made such an effort to switch from foot severing traps to drowning traps. That was mighty white of you. I mean if you’re going to kill infants or abort beavers you wouldn’t want them, to feel any pain right?
Poor Doug, and poor everyone who worked hard to get this right. It’s unbelivable the amount of sustained pressure it takes to get success to succeed when it comes to beavers. I told Doug that I knew just how he felt. It was after our beaver triumph that the city secretly decided to put sheetpile thru the lodge. I was horrifying and my heart was nearly broken.
But in retrospect, it was a turning point not a breaking point. In the secrecy of their private meetings the city let slip the dogs of war, and it meant nothing would be off limits ever again. I could push as hard as I knew how and never worry again about appearing unreasonable.
Some background from Doug himself: