Oh rats! BC watching spread of invasive species that looks like giant rodent

DmytroTs/Shutterstock

Vancouver has a well-documented rodent problem, and could nutria, creatures that look like giant rats, threaten BC?

Other parts of Canada, like Ontario, have declared the creature a new prohibited invasive species.

These rodents are on the larger side, typically growing from 4 to 9 kg in weight and as long as 60 cm, making rats that frolic in BC and Vancouver alleys look small in comparison.

You might also like:

After hearing about impacts to other parts of Canada, Daily Hive Vancouver contacted the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship to see if nutria was on the radar for the province.

It turns out that the giant rats are definitely on the radar for BC, primarily because of populations that exist south of the border in Washington.

Thankfully, there have been no sightings of nutria in BC for what the ministry says has been decades, and there’s no evidence that nutria currently exists in BC.

“We are monitoring the spread of nutria closely, as populations exist in Washington State and may spread to BC.”

The ministry says that if populations make their way to BC, it will “actively manage the species with the goal of eradication.”

Based on information from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, it sounds like nutria is much more challenging to manage than the average rat.

“When new burrows are discovered early on, the entry holes can be stuffed with rocks, balled-up window screen, and/or rags sprinkled with predator urine (mink, coyote, or bobcat—available from trapper supply outlets and over the Internet). Some people have had success using old cat litter in this way. Exposing their tunnels from above may also work. The success of this type of control depends on persistence from the harasser and thus is often short-lived.”

While it doesn’t sound like you’ll need any predator urine handy yet, we’ll keep you posted if this story develops.