The Nutria conquered Germany

The Nutria benefits from mild winters: their distribution area has doubled in 9 years, about 16 percent of the precincts have reported in 2015 Happen. The Population is growing rapidly. The plant-eater from South America, dykes undermines and eats endangered reed bed species. For the hunting Traps are essential, hunting restrictions are counterproductive for the protection of species.

Nutrias eat not only of the young grasses, but also of rare cane species. The damage to river embankments are not to be missed (photo: Dettmann/DJV)

Since the 1920s, there are Deposits of South America Nutria in Germany, but in the recent past, has expanded the Rodent From 2006 to 2015 has doubled the presence, nationwide, 16 percent of all hunting districts of the Nutria is already. The main cause of the sustained mild Winter, the experts at the wild animal information system of the Länder Deutschlands (WILD), which analyzed data from more than 24,000 stations – about 40 percent of the area of Germany, judge. The German hunting Association (DJV) has released the data now in the WILD report in 2015.
Dissemination priorities of the Nutria in the Western and Eastern lower Saxony (Ems, Elbe river), in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the West of Baden – Wuerttemberg (Rhine), in the North of Saxony-Anhalt (Elbe river) and in the North-West and the South of Brandenburg (Havel and Schwarze Elster, spree forest, Neisse). Especially in the North-West of Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia and lower Saxony the scientists have observed a rapid spread. This is also in the hunting statistics: The hunting year 2014/15 more than 19,500 animals came to track 10 times as many as 15 years previously. The Nutria is on the EU list of invasive species, their stocks are to be reduced, in order to protect the native species diversity. “Hunters are the competent contact person when it comes to the reduction of the Nutria-stocks with trap and gun,” said the DJV Bureau, member Helmut Dammann-Tamke. Calls for a restriction on hunting in protected areas, or even a ban of hunting with the trap were not only counterproductive for the protection of species, but through negligence.
The little shy Nutria eroded banks and dykes, or creates nests of reeds and Grass. You can cause damage to the shore reedbeds by grazing and hence habitats of rare species. The Federal Agency for nature conservation recommends that at places where the risk of the systematic use of live catch and the kill. The DJV welcomes this Position but at the same time that the practice of Hunting areas, in particular in nature conservation is increasingly limited. Some nature and animal protection organizations urge even, to prohibit the hunting with the trap completely. “Politics, authorities and associations need better and tuned to work together. Hunting is practiced on the protection of species, we hunters bring in our Know-how in dealing with Traps and types of knowledge. We need a Nutria management plan,“ says Dammann-Tamke.