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Police Investigate 76-Year-Old Caught Tearing Down Beaver Dam in Upper Bavaria

German and EU law strictly protects beavers, reserving any dam removal to conservation authorities.

Overview

  • Police say a wildlife camera recorded the man using a pitchfork to dismantle a dam on the Brandbach near Bad Endorf.
  • Investigators allege he has been removing beaver dams along the stream for about five years and have opened a case under the Federal Nature Conservation Act.
  • Officers found several large piles of branches, some heavily weathered, indicating repeated rebuilding attempts by the animals.
  • The interventions temporarily exposed the entrance to a beaver lodge, leaving it without protection from predators, according to police.
  • The suspect told authorities he cleared dams to keep water flowing, reflecting local tensions over water management where beavers engineer wetlands.