B.C. government officials say a pesky beaver wreaking havoc to the shoreline of Yellow Lake southwest of Penticton, B.C. will be captured and euthanized by a licensed trapper.
Local resident Dave Campbell is an avid canoeist who expressed concern about the brazen beaver chomping down dozens of trees near a wheelchair accessible ramp to a popular fishing lake.
He said the risk of falling trees near the well-used ramp and walkway to access the lakefront dock is posing a public safety threat and the damaged trees impacts the aesthetics of the area.
“All this aesthetics and trees around here will be done, will be level, will be gone,” he said while showing a Global News reporter the area.
Campbell said volunteers spent a lot of time and money building the wooden ramp and he thinks the surrounding landscape should be preserved.
“Whole families come here with children — I get a tickle, I get a buzz out of it, seeing people here with their kids playing, running around, having a picnic and enjoying this spot,” he said.
Campbell said he’d like to see the beaver trapped and re-located or destroyed.
Officials with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development agreed the beaver is responsible for a significant amount of damage and it’s moving quickly to maintain public infrastructure in the area.
The Ministry said there is a lawful trapping season for beavers in the Yellow Lake area, from October to March, which allowed it to hire a trapper to conduct a removal operation.
“A specially-designed, underwater trap that is approved for use by the Fur Institute of Canada will be used to remove the beaver,” said a ministry spokesperson.
“The trap is considered to be the most humane and efficient way to manage beaver populations because it is instantaneous and causes no suffering.”
A re-location of the beaver would be logistically difficult and cause the beaver anguish by live trapping and transporting it and introducing it to an unfamiliar area, according to the ministry.
Beaver populations are not considered a conservation concern near Yellow Lake.
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