QuestionI have a pond in my backyard. I know for sure I have muskrats -- I have seen them, had them trapped a couple of years ago, was free of them for a couple of years and now they are back. What's new is all my plantings around the pond from lilies to willows are getting broken off and dragged into the water with no traces left. This is even with little bushes like lilacs with hardy branches. I've seen the muskrat drag lily stalks and grass pieces. Are they capable of this kind of damage (we can see that the branches are bitten off). One of our landscape guys said it was beaver damage and he thought he had seen a beaver with flat tail in the water. The ones we've seen are the muskrats with the rat-like tails and they come farther on the shore.
Please help us figure this out as well as any advice on possible ways to eliminate them. We live in the Boston suburban area. How do we access the local laws regarding beavers etc.
Thanks.
Answer It seems to me that you do have a beaver around. The willow (you didn't mention how thick it was, is what is striking me as beaver). Muskrats will grab vegetation and cattails to build lodges but on a pond typically they build in the bank.
Look carefully at the cuttings, in small branches less than the thickness of your finger they will be cut at a 45 degree angle. Larger trees will be cut like a pencil, to a point. If you see that, you have definitive proof of beaver. Protect your valuable trees now before the beaver move to them. See http://icwdm.org for details on prevention and control. THere is lots of info there.
Now regarding laws. I normally don't talk about laws but since I used to live in Mass. I know them. First, you have to get a permit to get the beavers trapped. Unfortunately for you, you may not be able to get it because you aren't suffering any health or safety risks but that decision will come from your health dept. I would also call the division of fisheries and wildlife as they can provide you with contacts for professional wildlife control operators and further details on the laws.
Once you have the permit, you can have the beavers trapped (they will be killed as translocation is illegal in Massachusetts, translocation contrary to popular mythology, is often a bad idea for a variety of reasons). If you hire a private trapper get your wallet out. Visit http://icwdm.org and learn what makes someone a real professional before you hire anyone. Beaver work is not rocket science but if a mistake is made it can be very hard to catch them as they get trap wise.
Otherwise, you might be able to get a fur trapper to control the beavers in November, if you can wait and if they are willing to do it. Lot of fur trappers were angry over the 1996 trap ban vote (no surprise) and are learning that working for free got them no where except demonized and punished.
I don't envy the challenges you face. The fact is voters in 1996 foolishly decided to listen to the animal rights protest industry and banned equipment vital to the management of wildlife resources. You will now soon discover how "expensive" that decision was.
