The Canadian press is all a buzz with talk about the town of Surrey and its extermination of 40 beavers last year. They plan to take 40 more this year. Apparently there are complaints about them blocking streams, causing flooding and taking trees. Their city staff has said that there are no alternatives to killing the animals and originally reported they were being live trapped and euthanized. They later admitted they were being killed with conibear traps, which they insist cause no pain and kill the animal instantly.
Wrong three times out of three.
Information on alternative beaver management is readily accessible. Cities like to say they have no choice but extermination. Remember in November when our city manager reported that there was no other way to control flooding? He did this even though I was sitting in the audience holding his return email from August thanking me for describing flow devices and saying he would discuss it with staff.
The second lie? “We’re live trapping the beavers then euthanizing them.” What? Who even thought of that ridiculous lie? You, Surrey, desprately need a better spin machine. I don’t know which animal activists you figure that idiotic story would pacify, but it’s silly, wasteful and pointless. No one should have believed that story, ever.
The third lie: Conibear traps are painless. This is the most grim. I suppose if a beaver is lucky enough to stick his head all the way through and position it correctly they probably are painless. That rarely happens. Instead what happens is that the animal gets a foot or a tail stuck in the thing, can’t get free and just slowly drowns. There was a youtube video of this filmed underwater by an activist. It was horrible.
Surrey officials note (without any insight at all) that the beaver population seems to be increasing inspite of their best killing efforts. Hmm. Could it possibly be that mass killing causes a rebound effect when there is suddenly abundant food and broad territory for remaining animals? I won’t even mention the gentleman’s name from the “Environmental Consulting Firm” hired to do the trapping, but go look it up: the similarities are eerie.
So lets see, we have flooding fears, alarm bells and the expressed inability to do anything else. If my predictions are correct the next article should mention flow devices, say they’ve tried them but they didn’t work, and name a new concern: something eco-friendly sounding. Maybe salmon.
Carrie Baron, Surrey’s manager of drainage and environment, said she’ll be speaking with West Vancouver and King County about bringing a similar system here. Her initial concerns with the system were how salmon would pass through the fencing. But fisheries biologist John Werring, of the David Suzuki Foundation, told The Leader earlier this week that even beaver dams don’t serve as an impediment for spawning salmon.
Right on cue! You do remember the famed “salmon monologue” from the November 7th meeting, don’t you? Salmon provide the uneducated a useful reason to complain about dams. Turns out beavers help salmon as we and others have written about again and again. Dams are essential in making habitat for little salmon. Bring on the next complaint.
Mayor Diane Watts says she wants the killing stopped, and has approached the B.C. Ministry of the Environment regarding relocation, which they do not allow.
However a ministry official told The Leader this week relocation is no longer a preferred option by the province. “Basically it’s very stressful for the creature, and almost all the habitat around the province is already (populated by beavers),” she said. “And if you take one beaver and put it into other beaver territory, you’re just creating beaver competition, and stressing it more.” She added the animals cause “millions and millions of dollars” damage per year from the dams they build.
Are you having complete Deja Vu yet? Relocation not allowed. “Millions and Millions of dollars damage.” Those darned beavers. Wickedly outsmarting hard-working city staff and foiling their every move. Thank goodness Surrey doesn’t have some smart-ass animal lover making videos and starting a non-profit.
Beaver-weary community of Surrey: we can help. Download the subcommittee report and the powerpoint presentation. Read the articles on creative solutions. Write us with any questions you have and we’ll hook you up with the top beaver minds on the continent. You are not alone, and you can face these issues with creativity and compassion.
Any city SMARTER than a beaver, can manage a beaver.
