An actor who spent much of his career in the Lower Mainland has weighed in on the debate over fatal beaver trapping in Langley.

Richard Dean Anderson, the former star of Vancouver-filmed programs Stargate and MacGyver, hopes local people will seek a non-fatal alternative when beavers become a problem.

Anderson has long been a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the efforts to halt the Canadian seal hunt.

He heard about the beaver trapping controversy from Paul Brown, the owner of Legends Memorabilia. Brown represents Anderson in marketing autographs and other memorabilia.

"As a resident of Langley, I was quite disturbed to read about this beaver situation," Brown said.

With Anderson coming out to Vancouver to take part in a fundraiser last weekend, Brown mentioned the issue.

"It hit a nerve with Rick, as I knew it would," he said.

Anderson admits he doesn't know the local situation thoroughly, and can't claim to speak as an authority.

"I have to beg ignorance as far as the politics are concerned," he said.

However, he said he hopes more research can be done to find out if there is a more humane way of dealing with beavers.

"Is there another option that can be exercised?" he asked. "From my perspective, I would want to do it in a more humane way."

Although local trappers say the traps used are humane, causing death almost instantly, Anderson worries about the suffering the animals endure.

At present, regulations by the provincial Ministry of Environment don't allow municipalities to perform live trap and release of beavers, as Langley did before 2003.

The ministry decided that there were too many wild beavers, and that there was no room for the replacements. They were simply starving to death as they failed to find their own territories, the ministry said.

That assertion has been challenged by some, including Gail Martin, executive director of Langley's own Critter Care wildlife sanctuary. She takes in five or six beavers a year after they have been injured, and releases them once they are rehabilitated. Martin said she knows of good locations for release, but did not want them publicized to avoid having the beavers trapped.

The attention the issue has received has prompted the Township to review its policy. It will put forward a resolution at this month's meeting of the Union of B.C. Municipalities, asking the province to change the law. The Township will also seek support from other Lower Mainland municipal governments.

Coun. Jordan Bateman, who moved the creation of the resolution, noted that the Township is powerless to change its methods on its own.

Anderson said he was pleased to hear that Langley is doing something to effect change.

He encouraged local people to contact their government about the issue.

If there is no other option to lethal trapping, he said it should be done with as much consideration of the animals as possible.

"If they need to go, let's make it as psychologically and physically painless as possible," Anderson said.

Anderson has spent much of his acting career in the Vancouver area, starting in the 1980s with the popular series MacGyver. He later followed that up with the starring role on the science fiction adventure show Stargate. Although Anderson has left the show, Stargate is still filmed locally.

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Claxton, Matthew. "Celebrity Joins Beaver Trap Debate." Langley Advance. October 3, 2006.