POLAND’S AGRICULTURE MINISTER has defended the hunting of beavers after claiming the meat of their tails is an aphrodisiac.

The minister said hunting quotas for beavers, which are protected under the 1979 Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, were far from being depleted.

Beavers are only partially protected in Poland, and may be killed between October and March under certain circumstances, unlike other European countries.

However, hunters are not allowed to eat beavers, but Krzysztof Ardanowski said that he would soon recognise beaver and bison as edible animals, adding that he believed the “beaver problem” would end soon.

“If people recall that the tail of the beaver has, apparently, aphrodisiacal qualities, perhaps this problem could be solved,” Krzysztof Ardanowski said in parliament.

Ardanowski added that “at the moment no one knows what to do” with a beaver carcass, according to video aired by the TVN24 network on Friday.

The beaver is a very active rodent, known for building in aquatic environments or wetlands, attacking trees, dams and other natural features.

Ardanowski told reporters that he has taken steps to list beavers on the list of animals that can be hunted and considered an edible species.

With reporting from - © AFP 2019