Nutria / Getty Images
San Francisco is being invaded by “wildly destructive” 20-pound rodents that are capable of reproducing at a “prolific rate.”
Around a thousand nutria, large rat-like creatures with bright orange teeth, have already colonized the city and are wreaking havoc.
Compounding the problem is the fact that they are known for their destructive habits and can give birth to a staggering 39 offspring every year.
Their presence was confirmed to SFGATE by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Bay Delta Region and Matthew Slattengren, Contra Costa County agriculture commissioner.
SFGATE reports:
The wildly destructive rodents’ presence is cause for widespread concern. Now that they’ve made their way into the delta, which helps channel water to cities and farms across the entire state, it will be easier for them to disperse into other regions.
Once there, they’ll continue tearing through wetland habitat, lead to significant losses in crops, and “weaken levees to the point of failure” as a result of their burrowing, Slattengren explained in an email.
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Nutria reproduce at a prolific rate, giving birth to as many as 39 offspring in a little over a year. Each one can consume up to 25% of its body weight each day, Kellum of the CDFW said, “but they waste and destroy up to 10 times as much,” threatening rare, threatened and endangered species as well as native plants that rely on the marshland ecosystem eroded by their feeding habits.
Nutria also pose a risk to humans, livestock and pets, Kellum said, carrying diseases such as tuberculosis and septicemia as well as tapeworms — which cause a rash known as “nutria itch” — and blood and liver flukes, which can lead to infection through exposure to contaminated water.
GIANT RAT-LIKE NUTRIA INVADE CALIFORNIA
The three-foot rodents with orange teeth are spreading into the crucial California Delta water system.
Nearly 1,000 have been hunted this year, but their rapid breeding (up to 27 offspring annually) and lack of natural predators make… pic.twitter.com/NjVve9vBGV
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 5, 2024
California is not the only state that has been targeted by nutria. The problem is also acute in Louisiana, with local authorities even offering to pay private trappers and hunters who successfully hunt them down.
Originally from South America, nutria were brought to the U.S. for the fur trade in the early 20th century. However, when the fur market collapsed, many were released into the wild.
This consequently led to their rapid spread across several states, where they are notorious for their ability to decimate ecosystems with their feeding and burrowing habits.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira said the issue must be addressed. “We cannot have nutria reproducing in the delta,” he commented. “The threat to California’s economy is too great.”
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