The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is calling on Americans to hunt and eat a giant rat that has become a menace to ecosystems nationwide.
Nutria are large rodents with orange teeth that are native to South America but have been wreaking havoc on habitats across the United States for decades, the agency said in announcing National Invasive Species Awareness Week.
“Some of the biggest ecological nightmares are critters that don’t belong here,” the agency wrote in a public advisory released last week. “Invasive species outcompete native wildlife, destroy habitats, and mess up ecosystems. But rather than just complaining about them, let’s put them on the menu.”
The agency describes nutria meat as lean and mild, with a flavor similar to “rabbit or even the dark meat of a turkey.”
Louisiana has shared a recipe for Smoked Nutria and Andouille Sausage Gumbo.
Nutria were first brought to the U.S. by fur traders in the 1930s. Many were released into the wild after the market for nutria fur dried up. The Fish and Wildlife Service said nutria are a menace in marshlands in several regions of the country — particularly along the Gulf of America coast, but also on the Atlantic coast and in the Pacific Northwest and parts of California.
“Their nonstop munching and burrowing destroy the plants that keep marshes stable, leading to erosion, loss of habitat, and wetlands that look like something out of a disaster movie,” the agency wrote in a Facebook post.
Nutria topped the list of invasive species that Fish and Wildlife is encouraging Americans to hunt and eat.
Also on the list are the northern snakehead fish, the green iguana, several species of invasive carp, and feral hogs.
The agency urges anyone considering embarking on an invasive species hunt to check with local authorities to ensure that it’s legal where they live and to take special care when preparing the meat to avoid any risk of foodborne illness that is inherent any time you’re dealing with wild game.
National Invasive Species Awareness Week ends Friday.
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