Dam, wood you look at that! Pesky beavers cause destruction along Frame Lake trail

Government wildlife officers in Yellowknife are trying to stop a family of three beavers from taking down any more trees along the Frame Lake trail.

Wildlife officer Adrian Lizotte says the beavers have brought down dozens of trees this spring between the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and the RCMP detachment.

There have also been complaints from people walking along the trail that the rodents have been slapping their tails aggressively in the water.

Lizotte set up a cage trap Wednesday and by Thursday morning said he had trapped a juvenile and released it in a pond 30 kilometres outside the city.

"You just calm them down, talk gently to them, then they relax. When you release them, they just swim away."

Now he's hoping to trap the two other beavers, who he guesses are the parents, and take them to the same pond.

"Beavers are nice animals, they are a Canadian symbol, but I also like nice lush forests. You know, there's lots of habitat down Highway 3 that is perfect for them. They can have a nice quiet life down there and we can help them get there with a free ride."

Lizotte says that once the beavers are gone, the beaver lodge will likely be dismantled with a backhoe.