Lots of bruhaha in New Jersey over the beaver shootings last week. It’s a sad story but I can’t help enjoying the outrage. Check out this article from Krystal Knepp over at the Trenton times.

Outrage over shooting of Princeton beavers

PRINCETON TOWNSHIP — The killing of a pair of troublesome beavers last week by a local animal control officer has sparked an uproar among animal lovers, some of whom think the aquatic tree-munching animals should simply have been relocated. “It is just terrible to kill them that way,” said resident Kathleen Hutchins. “ It is outrageous that they had to be shot, and people in the neighborhood are really upset about it. People used to walk over with their children to see them. I’d go out at dusk to see them and they were just fabulous.”

This is the way it starts you know. Beavers are interesting to watch, and when they are in an accessible area they attract visitors. Next thing you know you have people photographing them and swapping stories on their way to the post office.  Watch out New Jersey or you may end up like Martinez.

Well, maybe not;

Township Mayor Chad Goerner, a frequent walker at Pettoranello Gardens, expressed shock and disappointment about the killings and called for an investigation into how the matter was handled.  “I live close to the park and I would walk there just to try to catch a glimpse of the beavers,” Goerner said. “Then I learned from neighbors that they had been shot while people were present in the park. I understand that perhaps they needed to be removed, but I have concerns about the way the situation was handled, both in terms of the humane treatment of the animals and the safety factor, which is a major concern.”

Let’s see what Princeton does with this teachable moment.

This morning I watched our one of our own famously defended beavers having a physics lesson. This little fellow gathered a clump of mud up by the Marina Vista Bridge and swam determinedly down to the secondary dam to apply it. A mud ball underwater holds up about as well as an ice cream in the shower. He looked a little surprised when he reached the dam and saw the minimal result of his grand effort. Learning curve? Let’s hope.