At least three dogs have died after being caught in beaver traps along the dikes on the Creston flats, Regional District of Central Kootenay Area C director Larry Binks said today.
“The beavers create havoc with the dykes and they can’t be shot, so I don’t have a problem with the traps,” he said. “But I do have a problem with there being no signage and flags to warn dog owners who walk their animals in the area.”
Binks said a licensed trapper was hired by the diking district to deal with the beaver population, and that there is currently no legal requirement to post warnings or to flag the traps.
Binks said a resolution from the RDCK, supported unanimously by directors, is being brought to the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments in an effort to raise the trapping issue to the provincial level.
The resolution reads, “Whereas trapping is legal in rural BC without any signage or notification of the presence of trap lines, meaning that in areas shared by the general public and their pets off leash their have been cases of death or severe harm to pets due to trap lines, and concerns raised for the health and safety of the general public:
“Therefore be it resolved that [Union of BC Municipalities] urges the province of British Columbia to investigate and legislate ways to prevent domestic animals from being further injured in traps such as Conibear;
“And further be it resolved that trap lines not be allowed in recreational areas close to communities, rural area developments and residential clusters.”