08/05/2025August 5, 2025Nutrias becoming ever more widespread in Germany — hunting association
Nutrias look sweet but are also a nuisance factorImage: Siegfried Kuttig/imageBROKER/picture alliance
The South American nutria, a semiaquatic rodent that is considered an invasive species in Europe, is continuing to spread within Germany, according to the German Hunting Association (DJV).
The animal was found in 35% of 23,000 monitored hunting districts in 2023, the DJV said, double the figure in 2015.
The highest presence was found in the city-state of Bremen, at 93%, a sixfold increase over 2015, and in Hamburg at 73%.
Nutrias were found living in 60% of hunting districts in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, while 55% of districts in Lower Saxony and 50% of those in Saxony-Anhalt had populations of the rodent, which the DJV says undermines riverbanks and dikes with its burrowing and destroys reed belts.
The beaver-like, usually crepuscular or nocturnal creatures are also known to transmit diseases to humans and other animals, mainly through water contamination. They have also been known to attack humans and dogs when cornered.
The DJV called for the nutria to be included in German national hunting legislation. Most states already have a hunting season for the animal or special permits.
“Owing to illegal feeding, climatic advantages and hunting limits, nutrias can now be found particularly frequently in urban areas, where they often become active during daytime as well and have a great potential for reproducing,” the DJV said.
Nutria populations mostly have their origins in animals that escaped from farms where they are kept for their fur.