Invasive Swamp Rat Nutria Sightings Reported in Sacramento County, Officials Warn Million-Dollar Damages

Nutria, an invasive swamp rat, has been spotted in Sacramento County, causing officials to warn of potential million-dollar losses.

Nutria: Invasive Swamp Rat

Nutria, invasive rodents brought by California's rainy winter, have been discovered on Sherman Island in Sacramento County.

When these rodents were discovered in the Central Valley in 2017, California Fish and Wildlife were concerned. The animals known as swamp rats are already migrating to other counties.

Congressman Josh Harder of California's 9th Congressional District stated that an invasion of swamp rats is a significant threat.

According to the Water Education Foundation, the invasive South American aquatic rodent is distinguished by its orange teeth, white whiskers, and propensity to grow up to 40 pounds.

Million-Dollar Damages

According to Andrew Genasci, Executive Director of the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau, the damage to agriculture is secondary to the threat to infrastructure.

The creatures are known to dig through levees, rendering flooding a major concern for crops and people.

According to Genasci, the invasive rodents are costing millions of dollars in flood management, and the only option is to remove the swamp rat.

Meanwhile, according to Harder, locating one swamp rat can lead to the discovery of a swarm of others nearby.

Transported Nutria

Fish and Wildlife's full-scale activities have resulted in a decrease in nutria since 2020, but the agency claimed that the unprecedented rainy winter and flooding moved nutria downstream towards the Delta, according to KTVZ.

According to Genasci, the nutria will travel wherever there is water, but they will follow any rivers that are related to the Delta.

The rodents have spread to new areas, such as Sacramento County, and Sherman Island has detected all 16 of them.

Eradication of an Invasive Species

The task at hand is to capture these aquatic rodents before they breed. Beginning in May, Fish & Wildlife will utilize specially trained dogs to search for and capture nutria.

It carried out its initial nutria detection dog field testing across the project region.

Trials in California were done using skilled handlers and dog teams that gained experience from their involvement in the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project.

The goal of these trials was to assess the tool's performance and make any required improvements in order to establish it as a long-term sustainable approach in California.

Also Read: Invasive Nutria Taking Over US Destroys Marshes, Riversides, Ecosystems 

During the field experiment, the dogs discovered an additional area with signs and scat of nutria on Sherman Island, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Following the discovery of three nutrias, workers were able to catch and remove them.

According to Fish and Wildlife, the use of nutria detection dogs will become an increasingly important tool as nutria concentrations decline and the surviving animals become more difficult to identify, as well as in places where cameras cannot be placed.

According to Harder, a mother may have 200 offspring every year.

In 2020, the state and federal governments approved $12 million to help eliminate nutria.

He stated that the sum has now been reduced by 60%.

Nutria sightings should be reported to California Fish and Wildlife, CBS News reported.

Related Article: Maryland Eradicates Invasive Rodent Species Nutria at the Cost of $30 Million, Fears of Reinvasion Still Linger