A beaver kit was killed as city crews tried to remove it from a drainage pipe on Saturday, according to a City of Port Moody statement released Wednesday.
“Council and city staff are heartbroken at the tragic loss of this beaver, for which we accept full responsibility,” said Mayor Mike Clay.
“Although removing the beavers and their den from the pipe had to be done to protect the integrity of the storm drains and prevent a serious flooding risk… this process has ended terribly, and there are no words to express our disappointment at this outcome.”
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City crews had removed the beaver family and its den from the storm sewer pipe in order to prevent ” a potential blockage that could cause flooding and damage to property in and around Port Moody’s Klahanie neighbourhood.”
Removal effort had begun at the beginning of December and had gone on until this past weekend.
Crews tried multiple methods, including a temporary wire mesh screen with a one way door, using beaver scent as an attractant and breaching the beavers’ dam, to lure the beavers out of the pipe.
They were able to remove all of the beavers but a beaver kit kept swimming back into the pipe.
On Friday, crews installed a live trap and a bypass pipe – to keep water levels down – in the pipe in hopes of catching the beaver kit.
However, on Saturday they found that other beavers had dammed the bypass pipe, raising water levels and drowning the beaver kit.
“Unfortunately, the kit was found dead inside the trap, due to the unexpected increase in the water level,” said general manager of engineering and operations Jeff Moi.
“We are deeply saddened by this outcome. It is the opposite of what we had all hoped for.”
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