Almost extinct after being hunted and trapped for pelts in the 1800s, beavers are back and becoming a gnawing problem for cities across North Texas.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Saturday that, from North Richland Hills to Colleyville and White Settlement, beavers are destroying trees in parks, golf courses and subdivisions.
"I thought who has a hatchet out here messing up our trees, and then it dawned on me that it was a beaver," said Alexis Huckins who lives near Colleyville Town Center.
Residents who live near the pond say they have yet to catch a glimpse of the gnawing beavers. "This pond has lots of geese and ducks and all kids of stuff in the summertime, but I've yet to see a beaver," said Lorraine Valdez. "We're still looking for the beaver, not Justin Beaver either."
Cities are trying various means to deal with the problem, including trapping the hefty rodents and building "beaver fences."
Developer Charles Hodges said beavers were discovered in a pond at a development in Denton. Hodges said "those guys need to be relocated to a happier place."
"They're difficult to remove, but ideally they can be captured and relocated, which is always our desire," said Officer Raymon Cannon from the Colleyville Police Department.
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While city officials and developers work to save their trees, wildlife rescue groups and urban biologists worry that their efforts will have a permanent detrimental effect on the beaver population.
"When they see a tree, they don't care who put it there or how much it cost. They're just doing what nature intended for them to do," said Cannon.
