Posted by a.j.w. [aw] on April 09, 1999 at 16:47:53 {qzNMJDwJ.2gy8SS8Re/Q9b2GZPq.rk}:
Eager beaver has cohort in Washington cherry crime
From beautiful blossoms to pieces of bark, one or more beavers keep munching cherry trees in Washington D.C. �
April 9, 1999
Web posted at: 12:09 PM EDT (1609 GMT)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Beavermania is sweeping across Washington as a pair of errant furry criminals munch their way through the capital's prized flowering cherry trees.
Initially park officials said a lone male beaver was responsible for felling some of the cherry trees that form a magnificent canopy of dusty pink blooms around the Tidal Basin, attracting tens of thousands of tourists each day.
That culprit has now been spotted with an accomplice, said National Park Service spokesman Earle Kittleman Friday, adding that more cherry tree felons could be on the loose.
"A tourist spotted another beaver yesterday and then park officials also saw them. We are worried there could be even more out there," said Kittleman.
The cherry blossoms -- at their peak this week -- are an annual ritual in Washington where many see their brief flowering as marking the unofficial start of spring.
Bloom gazing has been overshadowed this week by news of the greedy beavers -- who have reduced to ugly stumps four of the 3,000 or so cherry trees, many of which are gifts from the Japanese government. Four other cherry trees are close to death because of damage caused by the beavers and five other non-Cherry trees in the Basin have been downed.
The Park Police, a naturalist and hundreds of volunteer spotters are scouring the picturesque Tidal Basin to find the beavers, who Kittleman said would be trapped "in the most humane way possible."
Park officials said once found, the beavers would be relocated to an unnamed destination that was more suitable for beavers, who usually live in small family groups in burrows in stream banks or lodges made from mud.
Although they are common to the nearby Potomac River, Park Service officials say they could not recall one ever living in the Tidal Basin.
"This is a highly artificial surrounding for beavers. It's a managed cultural landscape and is in the middle of the city. I'm sure they're stressed out with so many tourists about," said Kittleman.
Newspapers and television shows have been filled with useful suggestions on how to deal with the beaver crisis.
The Washington Post's "Style" section Friday offered 10 ways to capture the beavers, ranging from sending Vice President Al Gore to the Tidal basin in a pink sombrero to dispatching ground troops.
Visitors to the Tidal Basin had their own suggestions.
"Kill 'em, skin 'em and eat 'em. Or if they have to, take him some place where he can procreate in a politically correct manner," said Al Crawley, 62, a National Security Agency Worker.
Another said the solution was to hunt down the furry culprits and put them on display in a zoo for the rest of their natural lives.
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