The U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Says Take A Bite Out Of These Rodents
For National Invasive Species Week (February 24 to 28), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking Americans to eat giant, invasive rodents called nutria as a way to help native ecosystems. They are herbivorous, semiaquatic mammals that have a negative impact on marshes.
“Their nonstop munching and burrowing destroy the plants that keep marshes stable, leading to erosion, loss of habitat and wetlands that look like something out of a disaster movie,” the agency wrote on social media.
Nutria are native to South America, but in the 19th century, they were brought to the U.S. for their fur. In the 1940s, the fur market collapsed. As a result, many nutria were released into the wild.
Their numbers grew rapidly, and they have now spread along the Gulf Coast, the Southeast Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Northwest, and California. On average, females have two litters of pups per year.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, nutria were estimated to cause up to 102,585 acres of damage in the state before a control program was implemented.
These large rodents can consume a quarter of their body weight in vegetation every day. They can also destroy an area 10 times that size.
They feed on native plants that hold wetland soil together and live in burrows in marshes. Their eating, rooting, digging, and swimming cause massive erosion, intensifying the loss of healthy marsh habitats. They even pose problems for agriculture, public health, and flood patterns.
For those who aren’t sure how to make a meal out of nutria, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has got your back.
Nutria can be prepared in a number of ways. The department has provided recipes for nutria gumbo, nutria jambalaya, and heart-healthy crockpot nutria.
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The animal’s meat is mild and lean. Its taste is comparable to that of a rabbit’s or the dark meat of a turkey. The idea of eating invasive species to control their populations has already caught on in other areas.
For example, lionfish have no native predators in the western Atlantic, and they have been ravenously going after native fish species. So, humans have been intervening by eating them.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has given the public the green light to eat other invasive species as well. You can also take a bite out of northern snakehead fish, invasive carp, feral hogs, and green iguanas. Perhaps these creatures sound more appetizing to you than nutria!
When hunting invasive species for food, it is important to follow any local regulations and to prepare the food safely to avoid contamination. Nutria closely resemble beavers, so you must make sure to identify animals properly before killing them.
What do you think? Will you be dining on nutria anytime soon?
More About:Animals