Beavers are getting a very deep bench indeed:

Protecting beavers

I appreciated Gary Ott’s letter regarding the importance of beavers to our watersheds and the early history of their trapping to near extinction in North America. There’s more to that story in Washington. It is important today.

It does not seem well known, but there are no limits on “recreational” killing of beavers. They can be killed anywhere from November through March. This even includes trapping and killing them in areas where they have recently been relocated in the hopes of improving our vital wetlands, a costly operation. That truly makes no sense.

I suspect it’s even less well-known that trappers can kill beavers in a particularly gruesome way. They use underwater traps that catch them and keep them underwater until they drown. This can take a half hour or more.

However beavers are killed, it wreaks havoc on their social, family groups. And we humans are also the losers. We could be encouraging beavers to help us in reducing the effects of years of drought. Protecting beavers in Washington is long overdue.

Incidentally, I had a “problem” beaver near my own house. It took some work, but I was able to limit further damage without harming the beaver. Please do that if you have a problem with a beaver, rather than having it killed.

Randy Brook

Twisp

Ok raise your hand if you think this is AI generated:

LETTER: Disappointed with beaver management

Editor:

Canmore’s decision to hire an exterminator to trap and kill two beavers, Canada’s national symbol, in Spring Creek is disgraceful and barbaric.

They tell people to coexist with wildlife. Secure your garbage. Protect the trees. Give wildlife space. Follow the rules.

But apparently there is another rule: wildlife is welcome – until it gets in their way.

These beavers weren’t breaking into houses. They weren’t behaving aggressively. They weren’t doing anything unusual.

They were being beavers. They found water, built a dam and made a home. And the answer was to call an exterminator?

Calling that the “most practical and humane option” is a lie. Bad move, Town of Canmore.

Pond levellers, tree wrapping and other proven non-lethal measures were available. They can manage the flooding and protect infrastructure without putting an animal in a trap and ending its life. Cost concerns? I can assure you the community would have gladly pitched in to assist with an actual humane option! It could have also brought a great success story and more community to the valley. Now we have to deal with the demeaning fall out with people asking us what happened?

And what happens when another beaver moves in?

The Town needs to be accountable for who authorized this atrocity and put a clear non-lethal wildlife policy in place.

The Bow Valley has spent decades telling the world that wildlife belongs here too by coexisting.

This should never have happened.

Max Hanna,

Banff