Behind Renée Piché's Burnaby home close to Deer Lake, there's a small stream that's home to a Canadian wildlife icon - the beaver, or as Piché's children like to call him, Chomper.

Piché and her family first spotted the large, water-loving rodent last spring.

"If we were out at nighttime, you could see him waddling down the creek," Piché says. "Not a lot of people get to see them up close. ... We thought it was pretty cool."

Chomper was often spotted shuffling along, minding his (or her) own business, munching on dandelions.

According to Piché, most of the neighbours are fond of Chomper - apart from one. But the beaver's presence has sometimes caused problems. He blocked the road at least once, after chewing down a tree, and he's left a trail of damage that blocked a driveway, too. Piché's neighbour already had a fairly large tree fall on her fence and house, thanks to Chomper's handiwork.

When Chomper started gnawing close to Piché's home, she worried trees could fall on her property.

That's when the family contacted Burnaby's Fur-Bearer Defenders, an animal rights group that's hosting a sold-out Sept. 23 Toronto conference on wildlife conflicts like Piché's. The Fur-Bearer Defenders wrapped chicken wire around the trunks to discourage further chewing, which helped secure Piché's property.

Chomper's case is one of many for the Fur-Bearer Defenders, says executive director Lesley Fox.

"In the city of Burnaby, we've seen an increase in the number of incidences between human and wild animals, like beavers, raccoon and coyotes," she says. "Just due to urban sprawl and decreased habitat, we've seen an increase in situations that require some delicacy in how we react to wild animals."

Other typical brushes involve coyotes and raccoons, Fox says. There are, of course, more serious cases than Burnaby's backyard beavers. This summer, a Toronto man allegedly tried to kill baby raccoons in his garden with a shovel. He was charged with cruelty to animals and possessing a dangerous weapon. On Vancouver Island recently, a toddler was attacked by a cougar and left with a punctured skull.

The most common concerns people have are for their safety and property when they have wild animals living in their backyards, Fox says.

Chris Doyle manages conservation officers for the South Coast region, which includes Burnaby. He, too, has noticed this year has probably been busier compared to most.

Since April, there have been 100 black bear cases, 90 coyote complaints, 11 cougar calls, and a handful of bobcat and deer reports in Burnaby.

"We'll attend for sure if it's human safety issue," Doyle says. "The main problems are bears accessing unnatural food, like garbage. There've been quite a few issues around SFU as well."

According to Fox, the animals are just trying to adapt to lost habitat, and now it's our turn.

"Humans need to sort of adapt and be comfortable with the idea that this is something we need to share and recognize there are solutions, and that's what the conference is about - educating people on how we can live with wildlife," she says.

The conference features wildlife experts and sold out about a month ago with roughly 100 seats and very little publicity. Attendees include government officials, municipal workers, the general public, hunters and trappers. Because of the conference's success, the group is considering hosting another one in Vancouver next year, Fox says.

The event has even attracted attention of filmmakers and will be featured in an international documentary affiliated with David Suzuki's The Nature of Things, likely released next year, according to Fox.

"It's very cool. We're this little B.C. group. There's a staff of three of us, ... we're located in Burnaby, and we are really passionate about protecting B.C. wildlife," she says.

Fox is hoping the conference will help animals and people live together more peacefully.

"It's possible to live with wildlife. We don't have to kill everything in our path," she says.

Chomper's fate, however, is somewhat uncertain. The last time Piché spotted him, he was apparently injured and limping.

"He was using his tail, almost like a crutch," Piché says. "It was sad."

Fox says it's hard to know what happened to the beaver, but there's still a lesson to learn.

"It was a real opportunity to be able to interact with a wild animal," Fox says. "It's quite extraordinary for her family to witness something so iconic and Canadian, having a beaver in her backyard. We did everything we could to ensure the beaver was protected and the property protected. ... It was such a great learning experience, and I think it was a lesson for all of us. There are ways we can live with animals, and we can do it peaceful."

For more information on the conference, go to www.furbearerdefenders.com.