First, we used their fur for warmth, then for hats. We did, and do, use their castor glands for perfumes. Turns out you can get rid of a lot of beavers that way.
But, because a few stubborn beavers survived our onslaught, some know-it-all officials decided that the animal’s activities were detrimental to our human way of life. So trapping and shooting were encouraged. Yet we still have beavers.