Five Years After Katrina, Big Alien Rodents Return
But boom in trappers keeping wetland-eating, beaver-size nutria in check.
At the same time, some coastal marshes are rebounding too, because of a boom in Louisiana's nutria trappers.
(See "Hurricane Katrina Pictures: Then & Now, Ruin & Rebirth.")
The 2005 to 2006 trapping season, which runs from November 20 to March 31, yielded 168,843 nutria tails. The 2009 to 2010 season, by contrast, set a record: 445,963 nutria tails, according to state figures. Trappers hunt the rodents for money and discard their carcasses.
"The amount of animals harvested this past year is a result of economics in the area," said Edmond Mouton, who heads the Nutria Control Program with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in
DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.
