Nutria plague in Hamburg: hunting areas are being massively expanded!

Nutria plague in Hamburg: hunting areas are being massively expanded!

The alarm bells are ringing in Hamburg: The nutria, an animal native to South America, is spreading more and more and is causing considerable damage in the city. According to the Hamburg environmental authority, new measures are now needed to curb the population of this invasive species. The latest developments have shown that the nutria can no longer only be found in the typical regions such as Bergedorf and Harburg, but also in other urban areas such as Wandse, Kollau, Fleeten and on the Alsterlauf. It was also spotted in the districts of Altona, Eimsbüttel and Hamburg-Nord. This spread is alarming because nutrias can cause damage along parks, cemeteries and embankments and threaten native flora and fauna.

To meet this challenge, the Environmental Protection Agency has expanded its measures. The hunting areas were expanded and the catch bonus for caught animals was increased from seven to fourteen euros per nutria. This is intended to create an incentive for hunters to become active. In addition, urban hunters can now obtain a nutria shooting permit without fees. Another major focus is on the new trapping program, which will also be expanded in hunting districts I and II. The authorities provide traps and the district owners can request the necessary materials through their hunter masters.

Reasons for the increase in the nutria population

The increase in numetry has several reasons. In addition to the approved feeding by citizens, who often act rashly, the animals in Hamburg find optimal living conditions thanks to the numerous bodies of water such as the Elbe, Alster and Co. In addition, the climatic advantages of the region and the current hunting restrictions promote the urbanization of the nutria, reported German Hunting Association (DJV). These developments have led to the number of nutria occurrences in Germany increasing massively in recent years. In the participating hunting areas, the presence of nutria increased by 100 percent between 2015 and 2023, and in Hamburg, current statistics show that the animals were spotted in 74 percent of the areas.

The effects are significant: Nutrias undermine river banks and can thereby endanger dikes. They also destroy reed belts that provide habitats for numerous native bird, fish and amphibian species. The city community is therefore asked to report sightings and damage in order to specifically optimize the measures. Citizens should contact the environmental authority if they make any unusual observations.

City hunters in action

There are numerous new opportunities for hunters who want to specialize in hunting these animals. It is now permitted to appoint additional game wardens who can be specifically assigned to nutria. The already established exchange between hunters and the environmental authority should help to improve the effectiveness of the measures. As part of the trap program, 50 live traps with electronic trap detectors have already been set up in hunting districts III and IV. All this is happening in light of the urgent need to regulate the nutria population.

In summary, Hamburg is in a race against time to keep invasive nutria at bay. The efforts of the environmental authority and the active participation of the hunters are crucial to protect and preserve the city's ecosystem in the long term.