Hanover/Berlin (dpa/lni) – The rodent nutria is spreading more and more in Lower Saxony. This is the result of new figures from the German Hunting Association (DJV) on the pine rat, which were published on Monday. North Rhine-Westphalia is also one of the regions in which the invasive – i.e. non-native – species is particularly heavily populated.

In 58 percent of all hunting districts in Lower Saxony, nutria occurrences were sighted in 2021, the DJV announced. This corresponds to a doubling compared to 2015. In Bremen it was even 89 and in Hamburg 77 percent. This shows that art also feels at home in urban regions, according to the DJV.

In general, these rodents are spreading throughout Germany, the hunting association continues. From 2015 to 2021, the proportion of hunting grounds with occurrences increased from 20 to 44 percent. Accordingly, art lives in particular along the rivers Ems, Weser and Elbe. The animal, which comes from South America, digs its way through dikes, among other things, making them partially unstable.

Because of the increasing numbers, the DJV calls for a commitment from politicians to the so-called trapping of invasive species. The animals are caught alive.

From April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021, hunters in Germany caught 101,500 coypu. According to the information, that is 57 times more animals than 20 years ago. 44 percent were captured with the help of trap hunting.

The basis of the data is the wildlife information system of the federal states of Germany (WILD). In 2021, 22,000 hunting ground owners, who are responsible for 35 percent of the hunting district areas in Germany, quickly took part in the wildlife recording. It has been held every two years since 2006.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:221121-99-598473/3