Suche
Mein Konto
Nutria alarm in the Plön district: Invasive rodents threaten nature!
Nutrias are spreading in the Plön district, causing damage and displacing native species. Hunting laws adjusted, year-round hunting recommended.
Nutria alarm in the Plön district: Invasive rodents threaten nature!
The nutrias are currently spreading unstoppably in the Plön district and are bringing with them many challenges. These invasive animals, which originally come from South America, not only cause damage to agriculture, but have also left their mark elsewhere. A look at the current figures and developments shows the extent of this problem.
The nutria population in the Plön district has exploded in recent years: While only seven animals were killed in 2018, there were already 909 in 2024. This increase is a clear sign that the nutrias, which are also given the less flattering name 'Coypu rats', are thriving in the region. They spread mainly from the southeast of the district, with concentrations along the Schwentine and the Kossau. Sightings of the animals have also been reported in the Baltic Sea Park and at various lakes such as the Great Binnensee near Hohwacht, such as kn-online.de reported.
Causes of spread
But what drives the nutrias to spread so vigorously? Climate change, abandonments and well-intentioned feeding by humans are contributing to populations continuing to multiply. One can well imagine that in urban environments, where natural predators are absent, animals shift from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles, as ifish.net shows.
The hunting law has now been adjusted: Nutrias can be hunted all year round. This is also urgently needed because the animals cause considerable damage to bank defenses and also displace native species. In the 2024/25 hunting year, they were found in all 15 hunting areas in the Plön district, with hunters able to sight the animals in 90 of 230 areas. 60% of the animals shot came from just 13 territories, which increases the need for action.
Recommendations and precautions
Nabu, an organization that works to protect nature, strongly recommends not feeding or touching nutrias. The animals can injure both people and other animals and therefore pose a potential danger. In addition to nutrias, problems with these rodents have also been observed in other cities, such as Corvallis, where they take up residence under old outbuildings (such as chicken coops), according to a report by ifish.net. is.
It remains to be seen how the nutria population in the Plön district will develop further and what measures need to be taken to meet this challenge.