Nutria invading Louisiana bogs!
Don (dngess01@vlsi.ct.louisville.edu)
Thu, 8 Apr 93 22:33:47 -0400
RODENTS ON THE RAMPAGE 3/19/93
The nutria is the world's second largest rodent, the largest being the
capybera of South America. Capyberas grow to over 4 feet in length.
Also from South America, the nutria (also known as the coypu) is an
aquatic rodent with webbed feet. Adults weigh about 15 pounds.
Nutria were introduced into the South and the Pacific northwest early
in this century as a source of fur. Now the nutria has become The Rat
that Ate Louisiana.
Nutria pelts don't sell well anymore, so there is little hunting and
trapping. That, combined with the animal's high breeding rate and
tremendous appetite, have caused a population explosion.
Nutria, being aquatic, like the bayou country of Louisiana. There may
be as many as 6,000 of these giant rats per square mile. And they eat
every type of aquatic plant, wiping out vital wetland vegetation. They
especially like the "floatant" vegetation, a bog-like carpet of
interwoven plant life that floats on the swampy water.
In some areas, the nutria are eating clear through the bayou, leaving
"eat-outs" up to 500 acres in size. This leaves the marsh vulnerable
to storm damage.
The natural enemy of the nutria is the alligator, so some
environmemtalists are proposing natural control by the large reptiles.
But Robert Belous, superintendant of a Louisiana preserve, says that
we'd have to be up to our butts in alligators to control the nutria.
He proposes shooting them.
So what's to be done with the Monster of the Bogs? Maybe we can make
them into burgers or dogfood.