Beavers Vexing Toms River Residents, Officials: Report

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- Toms River officials are searching for an answer to a family of beavers causing property damage to homes in a township neighborhood, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press report says the beavers have been building dams in Lake Placid, which sits between Lake Placid Drive and Oak Glen Road off Yellowbank Road. The beavers’ activities have caused flooding of some property and have resulted in repeated efforts to clear the dams before they can cause problems.

The Press report said Toms River public works employees go to the site a few times a week to clear sticks and other materials the beavers have put in place.

Toms River has spent $75,000 to $80,000 to put in drainage facilities to dissuade the beavers, Business Administrator Paul Shives said. At this point, the township is considering trapping the beavers, which would then be euthanized, because state law prohibits relocating beavers that have been trapped.

That possibility has upset at least one animal rights group, whose members

An animal group that operates a sanctuary was meeting informally with township officials on Monday in an attempt to convince officials not to kill the animals.

“More humane, compassionate and ethical methods of discouraging beavers from damming waterways and causing flooding exist. In the long run, these preferred methods are more successful and actually save money,” a member of the group Unexpected Wildlife Refuge, which takes particular interest in beavers.

The Press report quoted Shives as saying, “There’s been nothing finalized in that. We are under a very tight time frame here, and residents are extremely upset about this problem.”

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