The county killed the beavers, damn it.

I went out tonight to get Chinese take-out. On the way to the restaurant I saw a white van at the park next door, which had a microwave antenna on the end of a tall mast they erected. On the way home there was someone standing next to it and I decided to ask them what they were up to.

I'm not sure who they were working for (no markings or logos), but they had just finished doing a live news broadcast from the park about the beavers, and about the fact that the county put out traps and killed them. She said there were three.

They decided against live-trapping because they were worried that some kid would see the beaver and go up to it, and get bitten, and considering how many little kids there are in this neighborhood that was probably a fair concern.

But it's a shame we couldn't find some way to live along side them. A bit of romance has gone out of this neighborhood.

At least, until other beavers recolonize, in months or years.

UPDATE: As I mentioned just now to Adam in an email, I'm going to go out in the next couple of days and take a thorough photographic survey of the current state of both dams. That way, if some time in future I think I notice a change, I'll have something I can look at to prove or disprove it.

Those beavers came here from somewhere. Unless the county has begun a serious widespread extermination campaign, then presumably they came from a parent stock which isn't all that far away. Others may find this little stretch of water and move in, since the now-deceased ones won't be scent marking any longer.

I still wonder where they had their den, but I'll probably never know.

UPDATE: Furthermore, if there was a breeding pair among those three, then maybe they've been having kits, who may be in the area and could move back.

Or maybe I'm just fooling myself.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 05:28 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1

Posted by: Pixy Misa at March 14, 2009 05:10 AM (PiXy!)

2 Aw, poor beavers.  I liked reading about your little neighbors.

Posted by: roggowj at March 14, 2009 09:55 AM (iH1PP)

3

The game may not be over yet. After a week of being down, this morning the creek is well up again. It's true that we got a storm last night, but I don't think that's it. I think the dam has been repaired, which means there are still beavers active.

I guess I'll wait to see if the creek drains back out again later today, or stays up.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 15, 2009 08:07 AM (+rSRq)

4 So the county can't beat the beaver at engineering?  Well, the beavers have been at this longer than we have, so don't bet against the them.  There will be other, now that this territory is cleared.

Posted by: BigFire at March 15, 2009 10:20 AM (JylMM)

5 Unfortunately, I think that it was just a pulse of water from the storm last night. The creek has been going down gradually all day, and it's almost down to what it was yesterday. Alas.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at March 15, 2009 11:37 AM (+rSRq)

6 Somewhere far up in the hills of Oregon, Beaver Central Command has noticed that they lost contact with team 41b. A scout/replacement group has been dispatched. A couple of year ago there was a beaver problem on some Dallas Texas waterways. Were those beavers came from I never heard.

Posted by: toadold at March 16, 2009 06:04 AM (zcbXo)

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