Nutria war coming to California

[DavidBrown]

California ramps up efforts to combat invasive swamp rodents

California has an emergent nutria problem with several hundred of them found in the wetlands of the Central Valley. People are concerned that a full scale nutria invasion would be devastating to agriculture and the wetland ecosystems that support the state's water system. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is mobilizing to try and completely eradicate the nutria before they become established.

 

[Arizona Docent]

I know of nutrias in the southeast (and have seen them feral inside Gladys Porter Zoo), but I had no idea they were in California! I wonder how they got there? Natural colonization from Texas seems impossible, so how did they get transported?

(Edit - I have not read the article, so forgive me if the answer is there).

 

[Great Argus]

I know of nutrias in the southeast (and have seen them feral inside Gladys Porter Zoo), but I had no idea they were in California! I wonder how they got there? Natural colonization from Texas seems impossible, so how did they get transported?

(Edit - I have not read the article, so forgive me if the answer is there).

According to the article, they were eradicated in the 1970's and then turned up again two years ago. They're not sure whether these were introduced or a remnant population at this point. Considering it was almost 50 years since eradication, my guess would be reintroduction somehow.