USU's Beaver Ecology and Relocation Collaborative Works to Save Beavers From Lethal Trapping

The Beaver Ecology and Relocation Collaborative at Utah State University works with the U.S. Forest Service to live-capture nuisance beaver and quarantine them for release, saving them from the specter of lethal trapping.

Beavers’ engineering prowess isn’t always welcome near canals, culverts and yards where humans live, and the trappers at the Beaver Ecology and Relocation Collaborative work with local land managers like USFS to find the animals new homes.

Keeping beaver families together during these transfers helps the animals to remain healthy and feel more settled at the new site, he said. Beavers are held for a short quarantine in the Beaver Bunk House and released together at a stream restoration site, which in this case was up in the high Uintah mountains.

Scientists with the group also conduct research to better understand beaver behavior, which can improve the likelihood the animals will thrive after relocation. Fortin, who is a research associate with the Beaver Ecology and Relocation Collaborative and a graduate student in the Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is investigating which kinds of habitats beavers choose after relocation by monitoring their movement using microchips similar to the ones used for pets.