DNR KILLS NATIONAL SYMBOL ANIMALS!

I was shocked and appalled to hear about the killing of beavers on the news today. According to the report on CBC Radio the beavers were "euthanized" by gunshot. I can't believe that we've resorted to killing our national symbol animal when numerous other control measures are available! Shame on HRM and DNR for such a callous disregard for innocent animals just going about their lives! Is this what we've become as a society?  Now DNR might kill the other beavers who moved in!​  Beavers are essential for fire suppression and drought prevention in Nova Scotia.​  The city should have called Hope For Wildlife. In 2019 the RCMP saved an injured beaver. Using a snow shovel as a stretcher, they brought the beaver to Hope for Wildlife, where he or she was treated and eventually released.

Here's the story from the CBC News website:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/beavers-euthanized-cranberry-lake-cole-harbour-9.7324017

Some residents of Cole Harbour, N.S., are angry that a pair of beavers were removed from a nearby lake and shot last month because they were building a dam that municipal officials feared could cause flooding. Susie Keating has lived near Cranberry Lake since she was a child and started the Friends of Cranberry Lake Society more than 30 years ago to protect the area and its wildlife. She said she was appalled to learn the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) had trapped the two beavers and turned them over to the Department of Natural Resources, which shot the animals.

“I'm kind of sickened by the whole thing," said Keating. "And it just seems so useless. Why? They weren't bothering anybody.”
In an email to CBC News, an HRM spokesperson said traps were set “to address beavers that were causing or had the potential to cause damage to parkland, private property or drainage infrastructure," adding that managing flood risk is a key consideration when responding to beaver activity. Butch Galvez, a natural resources wildlife technician, confirmed the two beavers had been handed over to his department. He said shooting animals is a last resort, but relocating beavers can be problematic because they are highly territorial, which can lead to violent fights over habitat.

"Looking at the time of year, we'll determine whether, you know, it's better to euthanize the animals or relocate. But in this case, the animals were shot," said Galvez. "In most cases, it doesn't get to the level of removing beavers, but in some cases it is warranted." Trish Purdy, the HRM councillor for the area, said she forwarded a resident's request to the municipality to relocate the animals due to flooding concerns, but she only learned through Natural Resources that they had been put down.
"They always relocate them," Purdy said. "No one ever said anything about euthanizing the beavers. I was shocked and I could not even believe it." Keating said she feels the department simply chose "the cheapest, easiest, fastest way of eliminating the problem.” Hope Swinimer, founder of the Hope for Wildlife rehabilitation centre in Seaforth, N.S., noted beavers play a critical role in local ecosystems.  “They are considered a keystone species to our natural world. So they do prevent like the green blue algae that's in our waters,” said Swinimer. 

She said that property damage and flood risks can often be mitigated without killing the animals — for instance, by wrapping tree trunks in wire mesh or installing flow pipes within dams to allow water to pass through. 

But Galvez said these methods can present problems.
"We've tried flow devices and different fencing to keep them out of culverts. But there's other considerations when you do that. There's also fish passage, and turtles have to pass through. So, we look at all options," he said. The controversy comes as signs of new beaver activity have appeared at Cranberry Lake, giving residents like Keating a sense of hope.

While Galvez said a new dam currently poses no threat, the HRM spokesperson said staff are monitoring the situation and "action will be taken to remove the beavers" if water levels rise and "there is an anticipated risk of flooding or damage to trees."
For Keating, the loss of the first pair — and the arrival of new ones — has rekindled her determination to protect the local wildlife. "That's our sign that they hopefully didn't get them all," she said. "They definitely sparked the fire in me again. So I hope they think twice before they go to euthanize our beavers."