Province of Udine: 452 specimens of the rodent, extremely harmful to the banks of waterways, have been killed.
At first glance it looks like a huge mouse, however, the nutria, otherwise called beaver, but it is not even a distant relative. The work of the Province of Udine continues to combat the damage caused by this species which, originally from Central America, has invaded Northern Italy, escaping from some breeding. Nutria is very harmful to river banks and crops.
“That of otters - explains the commissioner for hunting and fishing Ottorino Faleschini - is a widespread problem in most of the provincial territory. These are large rodents introduced here by man and, therefore, without natural predators. This is why human intervention is necessary: to cope with the rapid spread of otters we had to run for cover by starting an operation to reduce the population. The greatest damage caused by this large rodent is due to the fact that, in order to build its den, it digs very deep holes in correspondence with the waterways, weakening them, and of the dirt roads which, with the passage of agricultural vehicles, suffer subsidence . This situation has been countered through the culling through measures in derogation ".
During 2009 the provincial police shot down 452 nutria: "to achieve this result - Faleschini clarified - the provincial police force was engaged with over a hundred exits that involved numerous municipalities from Artegna to Latisana". Alongside the containment action, the Provincial Police continues to monitor the effectiveness of these tools. According to the findings, there is a stabilization trend in the number of otters in the sites of original diffusion, near the Rio Basso di Artegna, the Ledra channel and in the area of the resurgences of Osoppo and Magnano in the Riviera, while the number of otters in some areas of Lower Friuli, in particular near the Stella and its tributaries.
“As far as future interventions are concerned, priority will therefore be given to those areas where damage to crops, embankments and near homes continue to be complained of by the population. The intent of the Province - he concluded - is to continue in this direction, that is to reduce the number of animals that in number - otters and wild boar - are causing a lot of inconvenience to citizens ”.
Source: Il Friuli.it