How to Protect Beavers

Look for signs that beavers are living in an area. The beaver's feet may leave tracks in the mud. Each foot is between 7 and 17cm in length and features five long, clawed toes. The paw prints may be accompanied by an oily, musky deposit that the animal secretes. Listen for beavers communicating with a combination of low whines and bellows.

Identify the beaver's home. Lodges may be occupied for several years and are usually found in the middle of ponds or on the banks of waterways. Though lodges are mostly underwater, the feeding and resting dens will be situated on a platform about 10cm above the water line. Beavers build damns at the narrowest point of waterways. The dams may be as high as 5.5m and consist of tightly packed twigs, stones and leaves.

Ensure the beaver's habitat isn't disturbed. Inform landowners and visitors to the area that beavers are living there. Educate them about the benefits of a resident beaver population. These include helping prevent flood and drought, controlling soil erosion, keeping waterways open, controlling aquatic growth and thinning out trees.

Contact local wildlife groups if the beavers are causing damage to roads, farmland or tree plantations. Nonprofit groups such as the Humane Society of the United States, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, and Born Free USA can help introduce beaver management practices that don't involve killing or forcibly removing the animals.