Oakland-Wawanesa to hire trapper to cull beavers
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A licensed trapper is expected to start catching beavers in Oakland-Wawanesa this year to reduce the rodent population in the municipality.
Council voted at its Aug. 18 regular meeting to hire a beaver trapper for a set price per year. CAO Joni Swidnicki said the work is expected to cost about $2,500 per year and the municipality is currently working on an agreement with a trapper.
“It’s just a case that there are a number of areas where, even though you destroy the dam at one point, they’re right back at it again a day or two later,” Swidnicki said.
The municipality says some focus areas may be targeted at first to trap beavers, and then efforts will be guided by tips and complaints. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press files)
“So (there needs to be) somebody to actually do some extermination.”
The municipality is dealing with flooding and land damage in areas where the large rodent builds dams, she said. Some focus areas may be targeted at first, and then trapping efforts will be guided by tips and complaints, she said.
“People will be asked if they’re having issues, (to) let the municipality know through the public works manager, and then she will make arrangements with the trapper.”
Head of council Dave Kreklewich said in August that a common complaint from residents is that beavers prevent water from draining off farm land.
The issue of water drainage is prevalent in the spring, he said.
“They block a lot of waterways and create a lot of havoc for stuff like culverts,” Kreklewich said at the time. “With spring runoff, it doesn’t allow it to flow through.”
Oakland-Wawanesa started in July researching ways to deal with beavers. Council passed a motion at the time to investigate methods used by other municipalities.
A trapper in the spring told the Sun he caught 18 beavers over three weeks in Glenboro-South Cypress after the municipality put a bounty on the animals to remedy flooding in the area. Coun. Dave Fisher at the time cited the same issue — that beavers rebuilt dams diligently and so the population needed to be reduced in order to deal with the issue.
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com