Nutrias on the rise: Danger for people in MV!

Nutrias on the rise: Danger for people in MV!

Ludwigslust-Parchim, Deutschland - In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the rapid spread of the nutrias ensures conversation. The animals known as water rats or swamp beavers have recorded considerable growth of their population in recent years. In 2025, 4,037 Nutrias were already killed, while it was only 143 about ten years ago. This corresponds to an increase of 46.8 percent in just two years, as N-TV reports.

Especially in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, the high density of this species with 2,868 individuals shows. But 934 Nutrias were also killed in the Northwest Mecklenburg district, while in Rostock and in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen there have been no delivery success since 2017. The Ministry of the Environment has already documented 348 finds in the region by 2023, which has been a significant increase in 60 points since 2018. One reason for the absence of hunting in certain areas could be the lack of possibility, as the local conditions show.

dangers and damage caused by Nutrias

Not only the increase in population is questionable. Nutrias are a serious risk of people and the environment. Through their excavations, they undermine embankments, dams and dikes, which leads to the endangerment of stability. Again and again it happens that vehicles or pedestrians collapse into the undermined embankments. The risk of injuries is therefore noticeable, especially for careless. In addition, they result in sustainable damage to the banking sets and for the sediment entries, which alerts the nature -loving residents of the region.

Nutria is an invasive way that not only puts pressure on domestic flora, but also threatens other animal species. With a weight of up to 10 kilograms and a length of up to 65 centimeters, these animals give birth to four to seven young one or twice a year, which makes their population rise rapidly. The discussion about dealing with such invasive species is not new, and the German Hunting Association (DJV) emphasizes the need to succumb to these animals to ensure species protection. In fact, over 100,000 nutrias were killed nationwide in the 2020/2021 hunting season, which shows how seriously the problem is taken.

public discussion and management

The excitement for Nutria is part of a broader discussion about invasive species in Germany. The NABU calls for measures that also take into account non-hunting methods to manage the population of these animals. Birte Brechlin from NABU points out that permanent wildlife management is necessary to combat the causes of its spread and react to changed circumstances. After all, other invasive types, such as the Nilgans or the raccoon, also influence the domestic ecosystems, which underlines the need for a differentiated view, as can be read on Nationalgeographic.de.

Citizens in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are required to take the topic seriously and to recognize the dangers that come from the nutrias. The hunt for these animals has been allowed since 2017 and is considered a sensible measure by many. But the opinions about how best to deal with invasive species are split. Therefore, it remains to be seen which strategies will develop in order to continue to ensure a safe habitat in the future.

For further details on the nutrias and their effects on the region, we recommend a look at the reporting of n-tv, [NDR] (https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/nutrias-breiten-sich-in-mecklenburg-vorpommern-aus, Kurzmelden-Abstmv14908.html) and and nationalgeographic.de.