KENNEBEC JOURNAL • April 11, 2021
Regarding the article “For Oakland man trapping beaver a lifelong avocation,” April 4, shame on the writer for glorifying the lethal trapping of beavers or any wildlife for profit. Trapping is an inherently cruel activity. In fact it is exempt from Maine’s animal cruelty laws for this reason. Beavers are an extremely important keystone species. They create important wildlife habitat for reptiles and amphibians, and for animals such as brook trout and wood ducks, both of which are game species. They also help to regulate water flow during the summer months. Trapping beavers is not a solution; it is a problem. There are other means of co-existing with beavers that are not lethal. ~ John Glowa, South China