Beavers Take Over California Town, Residents Fearful of Falling Trees
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.01.13
The beaver infestation in West Sacramento is so out of control, local authorities are actually reporting serious property damage and threats to local residents by falling trees.
According to CBS Sacramento, the large rodents moved in about three years ago and have come to view the neighborhood as a second home. Currently authorities estimate there to be around 30 beavers at large within the city limits.
“They can weigh upwards of 70 pounds and some of them, by the damage on the trees, were a good four feet tall,” said forest manager Dena Kirtley. While the beaver invasion may sound like a bad B-horror movie to some, homeowners see it as no laughing matter. The critters have been causing serious damage to the local flora.
“It was on a massive scale. It was very large trees. I think there were about 10 to 12 trees that were felled,” said Kirtley. So far the damage remain isolated to public property but city officials are worried that the beavers will move on to the trees in peoples’ backyards.
Kirtley is currently exploring efficient and humane ways of removing the buck-toothed squatters. Efforts to trap the beavers have so far brought in only half a dozen.
