Swedish grandmother hospitalised after beaver attack?

Question

Has anyone read this article that was on the front page of Yahoo news? http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070808/od_afp/swedenanimalsoffbeat Is anyone else outraged?
Here are some quotes from the article: "A grandmother taking a leisurely swim in a Swedish river ended up in the hospital after a beaver attacked her with its tail, regional newspaper Nerikes Allehanda reported Wednesday."
"The authorities have decided to kill the dozen or so beavers living near the beach to eliminate any further risk to local bathers."
Are they joking? They are going to KILL 12 more beavers because 1 attacked after a human entered into THEIR territory. What other choice did the beaver have? It was doing what beavers do...what any wild animal does, protect it's home.
Does anyone else feel disgusted that us humans can be so selfish? We think everything on this planet is about US and what is best for US. Forget sharing anything with the animals on this planet.
What is your opinion?

Cowboy, I am still upset.
One, the article did not state anywhere that they had a beaver over-population problem.
Two, if they did, then oh well. That is the way nature works. If other species suffer because of this then it is simply survival of the fittest. We shouldn't decide who stays and who goes. We aren't "God" (and I say that in a non-religious sense).
Three, the only...the one and only reason why these beavers are being killed is because they messed with a human. We are the highest rung of the "totem pole" so to speak. We could destroy every living creature on this planet if we wanted to. But, we should have more brains than that.
It doesn't show in this situation. Just mindless killing because the beaver made the mistake of attacking "God". Do you get what I mean?

Answer 1

Don't get so upset. The DNR (department of natural resources) does this all over the world, here in the U.S. also. I worked for the DNR in Minnesota. the beavers there had to be controlled in order for them to breed and cohabit within their natural boundaries. Leaving them go on their own brought disastrous results in the natural environment. You don't understand what happens because you don't see the whole picture, only the part you want to see.

If left on their own, the beavers would flood out thousands of square miles of farmlands and ruin hundreds of square miles of breeding sites for many more animals then you'd believe. Actually controlling them is saving the lives of thousands of other wild animals and, the farms of the people on the floodplains.
You have to look at the whole picture not, just one small portion. This is way they encourage trapping yet. It controls the animals.
If you have an answer for everyone and a way to save all the wildlife and, the farms, then bring your ideas forward, I'm sure the DNR will accept them.

Answer 2

Kind of glad that beaver attacked the old bint now!!