NEW MEMBER OFFER!

Get 35% off GOES, your essential outdoor guide

LEARN MORE

GET MORE WITH OUTSIDE+

Enjoy 35% off GOES, your essential outdoor guide

UPGRADE TODAY

How to Beat Invasive Rodents? Eat 'Em, Argue Some

Non-native nutria are damaging California wetlands. One solution: Hunt and eat them.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.


None
Tom Brandt

Problem: Nutria, a large, non-native rodent that can devastate wetland ecosystems, are breeding in California. One solution offered by some experts: Eat them. Though the taste reportedly takes some getting used to, some state wildlife offices provide nutria recipes in an effort to encourage hunting. It’s illegal to possess or hunt nutria in California right now, but a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife acknowledged the rules could change in the future.

Popular on Backpacker