"This has turned into a national debate, and quite an emotional one, which I fully understand" - Tusk said during an emergency government meeting on Saturday (September 28). Last week, the Prime Minister stated that quick changes were needed regarding the presence of these animals on embankments. And as promised, he followed through.
"Tough times for beavers". Donald Tusk allowed their culling
This is not the first time - I’m looking at the Environment Minister - that beavers have faced tough times in recent years. Our predecessors sent over 8,000 beavers to the afterlife. This is a serious matter. (...) The West Pomeranian Voivode requested permission for culling if it’s determined that an embankment is threatened due to the activity of beavers.
No beaver has been harmed
- said the Prime Minister, pausing for a moment before repeating, "No beaver has been harmed". However, Tusk added that the possibility of culling beavers was "opened, but not to be abused".
I also made the decision, in consultation with Minister Klimczak, that all embankments being rebuilt or newly constructed will be secured with appropriate installations, meshes, and different constructions, so that beavers won’t be able to damage them. Then, there will be no need to neutralize the beavers
- Tusk said.
In short, things will be fine, Mr. Beaver. There will be no reason to raise the alarm
- Donald Tusk concluded.
Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska also spoke to confirm Tusk's statements. "8,030 beavers were culled between 2016 and 2023. We cannot quickly verify the reasons, but we can certainly determine whether it was necessary. We treated it as an absolute last resort and would only resort to such measures if it were necessary to save human lives and health. Fortunately, that was not the case. Yesterday, I spoke with the West Pomeranian Voivode, and he said he doesn't anticipate having to use this approval. So, no beaver will suffer as a result of the flooding" - the minister said.
Beaver researcher criticizes Tusk’s statements, calling it "a colossal absurdity"
"The Prime Minister’s claim that beavers are to blame for floods during such heavy rainfall is a colossal absurdity made up on the spot" - commented Dr. Andrzej Czech, a Ph.D. in biological sciences and a beaver researcher, to Gazeta.pl.
Beavers live in many countries, not just in Poland, yet it seems only here the head of the government can make such absurd claims. I suspect there is a hunting lobby behind him, which is eager to take on the 'task of reducing beaver numbers,' similar to what happened with wild boars
- the expert added.
According to Dr. Czech, embankments should be regularly maintained according to specific guidelines. "Secondly, securing them from digging by beavers, foxes, badgers, voles, and any other animals is simple and inexpensive. Just burying metal meshes, which is commonly done in many countries, would suffice" - the researcher explained.
"In the case of organized beaver culling, we will suffer irreversible environmental losses due to reduced natural water retention, increased flood risks, decreased biodiversity, and violations of both national and international law, not to mention the ineffectiveness of these actions," emphasized Dr. Andrzej Czech. The researcher reminded that beavers play "a colossal, yet underappreciated, role in storing over 200 million cubic meters of water in the most critical areas in Poland".
Getting rid of this ally during a climate crisis would be total idiocy
- the expert concluded.
