The beaver became the animal on the coat of arms at the beginning of the 1990s when districts were replaced with counties. In order to find the animal, a contest was held and the beaver was chosen because at the time there were many beavers in Põlva County and they were highly valued because of their fur, ETV's current affairs show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

However, lately, the animal has been causing a lot of worry in the city of Põlva having, just like the locals, adapted to and started to love the Põlva reservoir and the nearby beach.

Mayor of Põlva Rural Municipality Georg Pelisaar said: "They are overrunning the lakeside area right now. They are also making their own burrows and they still want to move in with the whole family."

Hunter Aare Veetsmann explained: "The beaver goes where the food is and because there are so many pleasant willows here for him he comes here and starts to take them. Based on the animals caught here, you can see that they are beavers beginning their lives. They are looking for a place to live, and since there is this kind of a higher place here, it would be good for him to make a nest here."

However, the animal's plans don't match with the city's plans, so the city has applied for the permit to hunt beavers. As a densely populated area, a firearm cannot be used for this purpose.

"We'll see what will happen now. One has been caught. If there are more or if the activity will continue or not. Anyway, every second morning, I have checked, there hasn't been any movement," Veetsmann said. 

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