Beavers building dam target for nuisance trapper

By Colleen Dane - Comox Valley Record - October 19, 2007 | | |

The mystery of the beaver trapper of Brooklyn Creek has been solved.

It was the town that did it — with the proper legal permissions, in its first steps toward removing a dam that’s threatening flooding and road damage.

“To do so, they’ve hired a nuisance trapper to remove the animals,” said Rob Groeger, conservation officer with the Black Creek office.

He’s had to explain the presence of traps in the Brooklyn Creek area to a few people in the past week, after they were found by people using the park and suspected to be the work of a private individual.

A municipality can be — and in this case was — given permission to take such action if private property or public infrastructure is threatened.

The reality, he said, is the traps were never meant to be found — and their visibility was caused by an unexpected change in the environment.

“The water level dropped suddenly and rapidly and the traps became exposed,” said Groeger about the equipment.

He added that the community was not advised of the activity because that can often draw attention to the dangerous traps.

“If you sign it — people come looking for it, so there’s more potential for death or injury,” he said.

The potential for death in terms of the estimated five beavers building the dam was high, said Groeger.

The traps were lethal ones, he said, because there wasn’t the room for a live trap to properly work, and they’re more risky to other animals and people.

He said the beavers had ended up in this new area because of development that’s occurred in their former home. The dam they built was threatening road infrastructure and homes above it.

Mayor Jim Brass said at Comox council this week that the first steps in handling the dam situation have been finished.

“At this point the beavers have been trapped and removed from the area,” said Brass.

Town crews will remove the dam and debris next week.

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