Relationship with People
Last Review/Updated: May 31, 2002
Of
all the wildlife in Canada, none has affected people more than the
beaver. The beaver was one of the first natural resources to be exploited
by Europeans. The quest for beaver pelts opened the country to exploration
and settlement.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the warm beaver pelt was already prized by the Indians. It quickly became the currency of exchange when European traders arrived.
Unfortunately, beavers were trapped out of many areas, and by the 1930s they became nearly extinct in many regions of North America. At that time, trappers and the public began to realize that their renewable resources were limited. Through self-interest and with the encouragement of wildlife agencies, many trappers began to trap only limited numbers of beaver, leaving enough to reproduce and replace those that had been removed. Today, the beaver is common throughout most of Canada, and has returned to the list of most valuable furbearers.
Unfortunately, this increase in numbers has caused the beaver to become a pest in many regions. Beavers plug culverts and otherwise dam streams that cause flooding agricultural land, roads and railroads.
Like
the beaver, the muskrat is an important and valuable furbearer. It
is a very prolific species, and unlike the beaver, has never been seriously
threatened by past over-exploitation. However, because of its high
reproductive rate, it is more subject to wide fluctuations in numbers
than the beaver.
Although not a furbearer, the porcupine has quills that have long been used by Indians for decorating clothing. Because they are slow moving, porcupines are easily killed with a club, and have been a source of survival food for stranded outdoors people. Unfortunately, porcupines cause much damage to trees by eating bark.
Of the marmots, the woodchuck has had the most important impact on man. Because it inhabits agricultural areas, its burrows are a hazard to field equipment and livestock. Woodchucks also eat and trample crops near their burrows. On the positive side, woodchuck burrowing activity turns over the soil, and provides homes for a variety of wildlife, including foxes, skunks, and cottontails.
Hares and rabbits have a long association with man. The snowshoe hare has been an important food for Indians, trappers and others who live in isolated areas.
The snowshoe hare and white-tailed jack rabbit sometimes damage gardens, grain fields, and haystacks. All of the rabbits and large rodents are interesting inhabitants of our wilderness areas, and are enjoyed by many Albertans.
