The Coquitlam Now News
Wednesday, March 22, 2006 12:30 PM
More opposition to beaver trapping
Once again, residents of Port Coquitlam are being misinformed by the information provided to them on the city's official website. The website states: "The practice of live relocation of beavers is not permitted by the provincial government," but the City of Coquitlam recently announced during a televised council meeting that it had live captured and relocated some bothersome beavers. The same laws apply to both Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, but Coquitlam is willing to work towards ending a practice that is known to be cruel to animals, and dangerous to family pets and children.
If Port Coquitlam wants residents to be accurately informed about the laws regarding wildlife management, it needs to include information from the B.C. Wildlife Act. The act states "a person who knowingly damages or interferes with a lawfully set trap commits an offence," which means if you attempt to disarm a trap to prevent the death of an animal or child you become a lawbreaker.
You can stand in the park and listen to the children play, and can even watch the furry little dog with the big pink tongue chase a ball as it rolls dangerously close to a trap. You would prefer to remove the trap to protect the dog and ensure the little girl doesn't have to suffer the agony of losing her friend, but the law is the law; you can't interfere.
Parents, pet owners and grandparents have joined me in asking Port Coquitlam city council to adopt a three-year moratorium on trapping beavers. The moratorium gives the city time to research and implement safe and humane methods of beaver management, and also stops it from giving a half-hearted effort for one year, saying the city tried everything and digressing back to killing. It also ensures family pets and children are safe for three more years.
Three years is not a long time, but it may give a lifetime to our pets and children.
Mike Rogozinski
Port Coquitlam
I was horrified to learn of Port Coquitlam's use of trappers and consequently Conibear traps to manage beaver problems.
The traps are unnecessarily cruel, often kill very slowly and are a deadly hazard for children and family pets, as we have sadly seen.
Beavers, otters and many other animals have been found to survive for days in these undiscriminating traps, all the while in torturous and excruciating pain. What century is this? Can we honestly claim environmental stewardship while committing the equivalent of torture?
These "problem" beavers were here first, have a more valid claim to the rivers and lakes than we do, and are simply doing what comes naturally.
As invaders and the more advanced species, it is our responsibility to work around their needs. In this modern age, we have the technology, information and creativity to handle this without resorting to archaic cruelty and gambling with the lives of children and pets.
There are alternatives; they're just not quite as cheap and easy as the cowardly method of laying a trap for whatever unfortunate creature walks by.
I am painfully aware of the many ways in which our society harms animals. I'm just not prepared to accept that all that cruelty makes this one OK.
Vanessa Hill
Port Coquitlam
Before I wrote this letter I went online and typed "beavers, non-lethal" into a search engine and came up with 14,600 hits on this subject. It seems many communities have resorted to other methods of dealing with beavers and, as long as I was on the trail of information, I read some interesting articles about beaver baffles, tree exclusion and several other viable options.
Trapping animals, while probably simpler and less expensive, causes other, possibly unanticipated, problems such as bad press, letters of complaint, the potential for someone's errant child or dog being the victim of a trap and a bad rap for the city.
I would like Port Coquitlam to explore alternatives and join other communities who have decided trapping is old-fashioned and cruel.
Let's hope the city decides to deal with the beavers in a modern, humane fashion.
Judy Taylor-Atkinson
Kamloops
published on 03/22/2006
Coquitlam Tri City News
There must be another way to deal with beavers
Mar 22 2006
The Editor,
Re. "Money not good reason to continue PoCo trapping" and "Trapping is not humane" (Letters, The Tri-City News, March 8 and 17).
I'm relieved to read the letters from others alarmed by Port Coquitlam's use of trappers and Conibear traps to manage beaver problems. The traps are unnecessarily cruel, often kill very slowly and are a deadly hazard for children and pets, as we have sadly seen.
Beavers, otters, and many other animals have been found to survive for days in these undiscriminating traps, all the while in torturous and excruciating pain.
What century is this? Can we honestly claim environmental stewardship while committing torture?
These "problem" beavers were here first, have a more valid claim to the watercourses than we do and are simply doing what comes naturally. As invaders and the more "advanced" species, it is our responsibility to work around their needs.
In this modern age, we have the technology, information and creativity to handle this without resorting to archaic cruelty and gambling the lives of children and pets. There are alternatives; they're just not quite as cheap and easy as the cowardly method of laying a trap for whatever unfortunate creature walks by.
I am painfully aware of the many ways in which our society harms animals. I'm just not prepared to accept that all that cruelty makes this one okay.
Vanessa Hill
Port Coquitlam
© Copyright 2006 The Tri-City News