A reward is being offered for the successful extrication of a "rogue" beaver believed to be responsible for threatening the very existence of Tom's Fiddle and Bow shop.
Photo by Eddie Cazayoux
Tom Pierce opened for business six years ago, restoring and repairing violins and other stringed instruments in a small shop on the bank of the Bayou Teche in Arnaudville. Now, Pierce's business is being threatened by a beaver, which, left unchecked, could result in the instrument repair shop collapsing into the bayou.
"When I first came there was a pair of beavers here, but they eventually just went away," says Pierce. "I know I got beavers. I think it's just one, but he's kind of transient. He'll come and go. There's a cypress tree out back that he's eaten on three different times, and another tree that I know this beaver helped fell."
Yet, their absence didn't last, and since fall of 2010, Pierce says at least one beaver has been making its presence known by downing trees and burrowing large holes into the bayou's bank. If unchecked, Pierce says his situation will end tragically.
"This beaver is causing us to lose land into the bayou, and now it's interfering with the foundation at the back of my porch where we have our music jams," he says.
Pierce isn't the only one who believes a beaver is at the root of his land troubles. In an e-mail recounting a recent visit to Pierce's shop, Breaux Bridge architect Eddie Cazayoux writes:
This is not an architectural situation. You have a beaver problem. One way beavers have adapted to this environment is by making their lodges in the bank of the bayou vs. a lodge in the middle of a lake create(ed) by damming up a stream.
I have had a similar problem on my property. I looked into getting a trapper, but they moved on and my problem was solved. You need to get rid of the beavers. If you continue to lose land, this foundation problem will again be compromised. You need to get rid of the beavers.
Pierce, following Cazayouz's advice, contacted Wildlife and Fisheries, which sent Curtis Cruse - a veteran trapper who specializes in capturing alligators, beavers and coyotes.
Though Cruse confirms that a beaver is at the source of Pierce's problem, he has yet to capture the critter due to its "rouge" nature.
Photo by Eddie Cazayoux
"According to Wildlife, if I had a whole den of beavers that would be one thing, but this beaver comes and goes, and Mr. Cruse says he doesn't know when the beaver is going to be here or not be here," says Pierce. "So yeah, I'll give a reward to somebody if they help me find and capture it."
To help Pierce solve his beaver problem, call 754-5528, or shoot him an e-mail at [email protected]. Anyone who helps successfully capture the beaver will be rewarded in beer or a little cash.