Yes, you read that read that right. Not depredation but ERADICATION, as in kill every beaver under every circumstances everywhere in the entire state. This is what the state of Arkansas enacted in 1993, and with a little revision it in 1997 it still has a policy of setting aside $ 150,000 for counties to buy into a ‘tail collecting’ bounty, providing that they do the following:
- designate a beaver control officer
- provide that tails be notched when brought in to the beaver control officer
- set up a schedule for the beaver control officer to submit reports of payments to harvesters to the district board and for board application to the Commission for reimbursements
- approximates the number of beavers to be harvested within the fiscal year
So kill all the beavers in your county and we’ll pay you for doing it. Oh and make sure to notch the tails because we don’t want to pay you twice for killing the same beaver. As far as I know, Arkansas is the only state with a ‘kill ’em all’ policy. Other states wait until they blink or cause what appears to be the whiff of the suggestion of a problem before exterminating. Arkansas leaps to judgment.
Allow me to say that I have read hundreds of beaver killing articles, and it takes a lot to shock me. This series of articles left me open mouthed and gaping. Beaver Eradication Program. The only other eradication programs I could find was for small pox and cholera. There isn’t even a rat eradication program, or a cotton mouth eradication program.
Just beavers.
One can only wonder how the wetlands in Arkansas and the population of trout and wooduck are faring. It looks like there’s been a couple years of drought conditions in the state. No matter. I’m sure they can just get their hard working ‘global warming deniers’ to disbelieve the drought too.
But if that doesn’t work you might try letting a few beavers live.
When I’m done being stunned by this a bunch of somebodies will get letters. In the mean time I will let you now that Lory discovered all three kits coming over the primary dam today at noon. After some mulling and consulting we think that what happened was that the high tide made life in their lower lodge too uncomfortable and required a midday relocation to the upper lodge. We’ve been wondering whether tide impacts where they end up sleeping for the night, and certainly the bank lodge below the primary dam has fewer options. All three went over and headed for the main lodge, so at least they know where to turn.
