http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Deer+citizens+rally+save+attacking+beavers/3288451/story.html
Red Deer citizens rally to save dog-attacking beavers
Drew Halfnight, National Post · Friday, Jul. 16, 2010
Residents of Red Deer, Alta., have rallied to save about a dozen beavers that have been attacking dogs in a downtown off-leash park, killing one of them.
The city’s parks department said Wednesday it would trap and kill the beavers due to the severity of the attacks — at least six dogs have been seriously injured while swimming in a pond in Three Mile Bend park — but the idea of euthanizing the animals has set off a firestorm, and the city is re-thinking its plan.
“We have received an abnormally large number of calls and e-mails,” said Kevin Poth, superintendent of the city’s park system, who said about 75 dog advocacy groups, wildlife groups and concerned citizens had contacted him in two days.
“It really has opened up our community to have an interesting discussion about how we interact with wildlife in an urban centre,” he said.
The callers fall into three categories, he said: those who want the animals killed, those who want them re-located and those who want nothing done at all.
The vast majority have defended the beavers.
“It’s an animal, that’s its home in the bush. What would you do if someone came into your home?” said resident Brad Cotter, who takes his king German shepherd Kaiser to the park, Three Mile Bend, every day.
Mr. Cotter said the park is full of wildlife, including moose and deer, and beavers especially love its man-made ponds. “In my mind, it’s up to the owners to keep an eye on the dogs or keep them leashed,” he added.
“They were talking about trapping and killing them. Why would you go and kill a Canadian icon?”
Based on the outcry, the city has decided it will try to relocate the animals, though Mr. Poth added “there’s still some challenges that we need to address.”
Four members of the public have already come forward with offers to host the beavers on private land, he said.
City officials will spend the next week choosing a contractor and visiting the proposed sites. If the animals can be disturbed without endangering their lives or health, and if the new habitats are suitable, then the animals will be relocated.
For the moment, killing the beavers has not been ruled out, though will remain a “last resort,” Mr. Poth said.
The Red Deer beaver debate is not isolated. Last month on P.E.I., officials said they would kill about 150 nuisance beavers whose dams were causing flooding and destruction of roadways, killing mature trees and interfering with migratory fish runs. A member of beaver advocacy group Worth A Dam compared the practice to “controlling speeding by destroying cars.”
Beavers are rarely aggressive unless they are rabid or defending their families against intruders. This is the first time there have been any problems with aggressive beavers in the 25-year history of the park.
Mr. Poth said the controversy has stirred up passions and brought stories to light that he would otherwise never have heard. “For us, that’s a great thing. When people have passion about nature, parks and conservation, those are things that fuel the work we do.”