27 November 2003
Beavers destroying valuable trees around Brest Fortress memorial
Beavers are destroying valuable trees at the confluence of the Rivers Mukhavets and Zapadny Bug near the Brest Fortress World War II memorial some ten kilometers west of Brest.
The rapidly growing Canadian beaver population has cut down all the aspens that stood on the Zapadny Bug's bank, Valery Gubarenko, director of the memorial, told BelaPAN on Tuesday.
Now, according to the director, the white willows surrounding the fortress, which are an endangered species, are under threat of extinction, but the memorial administration lacks the wire netting required to protect the trees. In an attempt to find a remedy, Mr. Gubarenko first approached a hunters' society, but it said that the Canadian beaver itself is an endangered species and its illegal shooting is punishable by a fine of some $400.
"I have to deal with the beavers instead of pushing for more funding for the memorial's renovation," he complained. The director then wrote to the regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, which referred the letter to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
"I have complained to the minister recently and I'm waiting for a reply. Let them move the beavers somewhere else if they can't shoot them down, or else you won't recognize the nation's main military monument when the fortress will host celebrations on the 60th anniversary of Belarus' liberation [in July 2004]," Mr. Gubarenko said. "The beavers gnawed another tree last night and I had to order that it be cut down," he added.
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news483.html