The Nutria

Well yes, the Nutria is not from us!

It was introduced to Europe in the early 19th century for its fur. Some individuals escaped from farms, or released voluntarily, quickly colonized the majority of France. In the 1980s, it invaded the Marais poitevin and the fight against its proliferation became mandatory.

Today the animal is classified as harmful because of the significant damage it causes. It damages the banks by digging its burrow and repairing the damage caused requires heavy work. Cage traps are therefore used to capture it and regulate its population.

Morphologically, the Coypu is a large rodent similar in appearance to the muskrat, recognizable by its four large orange incisors. It weighs on average 7kg and its coat is brown, its body is finished by a long tail similar to that of the rat.

It leads a rather twilight or nocturnal life but can still have a sustained daytime activity. It likes fresh water and digs burrows of 6 to 7 meters along the banks of rivers, canals or marshes.

In the countries where it has been introduced, such as France, the nutria has no natural predators, at least in the adult state. Young nutria are sometimes the prey of predators such as weasels. Because of its invasive nature, the nutria is a species included on the list of invasive alien species of concern for the European Union, pursuant to European Regulation No. 1143/2014.

In addition to its hunting as a pest, the nutria can be hunted or bred for skin and meat, subject to holding the corresponding certificate of competence in the same way as, for example, a deer or wild boar farm.