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Beaver dilemma pits residents against homeowners association

Ryan Smith is on a mission. The Raleigh resident said he hopes to stop his homeowners association from making a change to the neighborhood. That change involves beavers.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Ryan Smith is on a mission. The Raleigh resident said he plans to do everything he can to stop his homeowners association from making a change to the neighborhood.

The change does not involve landscaping or the color of houses. Smith is upset about the association’s plan to get rid of beavers.

To get their beaver problem under control, Greystone Villages’ homeowners association voted to give themselves an option to capture and kill the animals. Not everyone in the neighborhood supports that approach.

“I think it is just a horrible thing,” Smith said. “If someone wants to make a vote to kill off a good portion of them, I'm going to do everything I can to stop it.”

Neighbor Marjory Hinchey agrees.

“They claim there’s problems with (beavers), but I’ve never seen any beaver,” she said.

Hinchey said she’s worried traps could harm her dog.

“The beavers have a right to be here. They’re not hurting anybody. As far as I’m concerned, they have a right to be around the property,” she said.

The beavers have apparently damaged trees in the area.

Wildlife biologist Matt Scott specializes in beaver removal and said trapping is the best method when trying to get rid of the animals.

“It’s either trap them out or live with them doing damage (and) flooding your back yard,” he said.

The homeowners association has not set a timetable for when the traps could be set.

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