A pesky beaver who has taken up residence in the municipality of Wellin in the province of Luxembourg in Wallonia is causing havoc for locals, RTL Info reports. Constructing his hut along the banks of a stream, the beaver has busily built several dams.
Dubbed “Zébulon” by locals, the creature has been industrious. From what was a small stream, the animal has made a lake. Yet the unplanned water feature is causing considerable concern. Zébulon is the third beaver to settle in the village in 10 years but is by far the greatest architect.
“You normally have a very small stream, just a metre wide. And then you see the magnitude, the width of the water, it is impressive compared to what it usually is,” Sylvie, a local resident, told RTL Info.
Beavers generally build dams to submerge the entrance to their hut and protect it from predators. Neighbours fear that this newly created lake may flood local houses and a nearby community hall. “If it poses too many problems, it will just have to be relocated,” said local resident Sébastian.
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In Belgium, beavers are a protected species and cannot be killed or domesticated. Nevertheless, authorities can opt to drive away or relocate the animal. On Thursday, Zébulon’s fate will be decided in a municipal meeting in consultation with the Walloon government.
“All avenues will be considered. I personally think that we could perhaps consider keeping the animal. He has been there for several months. We have had a few rainy episodes in recent weeks and we see that there were no floods,” said Benoît Closson, the mayor of Wellin.
