Two beavers were trapped and killed at Fox Brook Park in Brookfield, Wisconsin, prompting objections from parkgoers who questioned whether the animals could have been spared. Waukesha County confirmed the killings, saying conditions along the lake limited the options available to protect the shoreline and a nearby paved trail.
Amy Mueller and Kathy Knoeppel told FOX6 News Milwaukee they learned of the county’s trapping plans the previous week and were saddened to discover the beavers had been killed. Mueller, who described herself as a master naturalist specializing in beaver education and outreach, said the park offered one of the area’s few opportunities to observe beavers in a public park.
In a statement to FOX6, Waukesha County Director of Parks and Land Use Dale Shaver said the narrow space separating the water from the paved trail made shoreline trees particularly important. He said those trees help protect the shore and prevent erosion or burrowing from undermining the trail. FOX6 reported seeing several trees that beavers had felled.
Shaver said the county draws on extensive experience dealing with beaver activity across its parks and highway systems, including the damage and costs that can result. He said officials consider multiple alternatives before deciding to kill an animal, with relocation and measures to control water levels among the approaches evaluated.
Although those methods have been used elsewhere, Shaver said they were unsuitable or ineffective under the conditions at Fox Brook Park. He said management decisions are made individually, weighing the available approaches alongside staffing and financial considerations. The county, he added, would continue consulting specialists and examining wildlife management practices intended to preserve parks and natural resources.
Mueller challenged the decision, describing the killings as unnecessary and unlikely to resolve the issue over the long term. She said removing the two animals left room for other beavers to move into the park from the Fox River, potentially next spring as they disperse.
Knoeppel, a Waukesha County resident, also objected to the outcome. She said the animals had not been given an opportunity to be relocated, an option Shaver’s statement said had been considered but was not appropriate or effective at the site.
With the two beavers gone, Mueller hopes public objections will persuade the county to avoid lethal methods in future cases. Shaver said the county would maintain its work with experts as it addresses wildlife management at the park.
