news-record.com

Greensboro city officials would be able to relocate beavers that cause damage in city waterways under a bill that passed the Senate State and Local Government Committee Tuesday.

Under current law, animals that are trapped either have to be released where they were found or euthanized. City officials, including veterinarian and City Council member Trudy Wade, said they wanted an alternative to killing the animals.

The new bill allows Greensboro to move the beavers along Buffalo Creek. It essentially creates a pilot program that will end on July 1, 2011.

“The beavers of Greensboro thank you for your support,” Sen. Don Vaughan told lawmakers. The measure still has to pass the full Senate and the House.

Officials with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission objected to the original draft of the bill. Although they didn’t raise objections in committee, they said Tuesday their agency objects to any bill that allows for the relocation of wild animals.

“They’re going to find themselves right back where they are,” commission director Gordon Myers said.