Beavers and Humans Beavers have long been exploited for their fur, and for many years during the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of beaver skins were exported to Europe from North America annually. The animals were also sometimes destroyed because of the damage they did to forests and the flooding occasionally caused by dams. Ceaseless slaughter led to near extinction of beavers in both Europe and North America. The beaver is still almost extinct in Europe, but is becoming reestablished in Canada and in protected areas of the United States. Beavers are sometimes viewed as pests, particularly in suburban areas of the eastern United States.
Several states have limited trapping seasons.
The North American species is classified as Castor canadensis. The Eurasian species is classified as Castor fiber.