More and more of a problem

Why the cute beavers are also dangerous

Waldviertel farmer Andreas Draxler has major problems with a strictly protected beaver family. He shows just one of the many groups of trees nibbled on there and points out other dangers.(Bild: Privat)

Farmer Andreas Draxler is increasingly in trouble with these strictly protected rodents. For around five years, a family of beavers has been living next to his fields, undermining the soil and rasping away trees. Why this could become more and more of a problem in Lower Austria and what the nature conservation authority has to say about it.

The good news for animal rights activists first: the beaver population in Lower Austria continues to grow - by 2023, there were almost 9,000 animals (European beavers or Castor fiber) in the province. This is confirmed by the population report from the state's nature conservation department. However, as its population continues to recover, the problems and dangers caused by the master woodcutter in the cultivated natural landscape are also increasing.