Beaver Hotline: Zurich's Answer to a $70,000 Gnawing Problem

A woman in southern Zurich called a special hotline, upset. "I hate beavers," she said. Her prized oak tree, planted 40 years ago, had just been felled. She is not alone. About 10 new people call Zurich's beaver hotline each week. The reason? Winter is when these large rodents, known as nature's engineers, become most active. Beavers enter a seasonal "home-improvement mode." They renovate their lodges and build dams. This activity can cause major problems for people. It leads to flooding, sinkholes in roads, and valuable trees being gnawed down. A single beaver incident can cause up to 70,000 Swiss francs (£65,000) in damage. As beaver numbers rise, so do tensions with residents. Zurich's system aims to calm neighbors and restore harmony. The hotline helps manage the challenges of living alongside these expanding semi-aquatic creatures.