Coypu can be shot with shotguns in Empordà

GironaFor years, in Girona, on the Onyar river, there have been some small animals that arouse great curiosity among residents and visitors. They are coypus, large rodents, over two spans long, that swim among the carp and forage along the water's edge. They are not only present in the Girona river, but also in the Sils ponds, the Empordà wetlands, and along the entire bank of the Baix Ter. They arrived in the Girona regions from France, as a result of human activity linked to the fur industry, and have spread throughout the province to areas in the south like La Selva. Despite their cute and harmless appearance, with very large orange front teeth, these animals pose a problem for the natural ecosystem, as they are an invasive species, one of the most harmful in all of Europe, which damages flora and alters the habitats of native mammals. They are herbivores and feed on large quantities of vegetation, so they also cause damage to crops, especially wheat and rice in wetlands.  

To curb the establishment of coypus in Catalonia, in 2023 the Generalitat launched a shock plan with the deployment of two special brigadesto capture them with specialized traps around the rivers, and then euthanize them. This operation, however, has ended, as it depended on European Next Generation funds. And since the problem persists, the Department of Territory has launched a new pilot test: an exceptional authorization to shoot the species with firearms. The authorization is granted during the summer and autumn to farmers, ranchers, and hunters in Alt and Baix Empordà with firearm permits, who will receive training so they can correctly identify the species. They will only be able to shoot them using special lead-free ammunition. If the results are positive, the Generalitat plans to include the coypu next year in the list of game species that can be hunted without a special permit, like wild boar and roe deer.

Previous training to differentiate them from an otter

"The coypu is a very visible species and not difficult to detect due to its morphology and behavior, so specific training has been provided to firearm permit holders to avoid confusion with other species, such as the otter and the genet, which are carnivorous mammals, unlike the coypu, which is a rodent," explains Marc Vilahur, Director General of Environmental Policies and Natural Environment, to ARA. He adds: "The main problem with the coypu is competition with other mammals of similar size regarding habitat and access to food, as it must be taken into account that they can weigh up to seven kilograms and have a great capacity for gnawing. Furthermore, in the specific case of Baix Ter, they sometimes also gnaw flora of endangered species".

, which completely annihilated their presence in the river for a few months. Now they have recovered and are proliferating again.

Harry, which completely annihilated their presence in the river for a few months. Now they have recovered and are proliferating again. 

Animal rights activists, against extermination: "They are not to blame at all"

that "reduces them to a thing or a collective",Animal rights activists, on the other hand, are against it. During the installation of traps in Girona in January, they placed posters on lampposts and launched an online signature campaign "to stop the capture and death of coypu in the Onyar", which has already surpassed 3,000 adhesions. The initiative is promoted by the Girona Animal Save association: "We are against cage trapping, and logically also against them being hunted, because the starting point is the same: the death of an animal that has not chosen to die," says the entity's spokesperson, Arnau Pagès. And he adds: "We are concerned that to solve any problem with animals, the first and only response is always to kill. We are capable of going to the Moon and generating artificial intelligence, it surprises us that there is no other alternative".

Finally, animal rights activists regret the use of the term invasive species, which "reduces them to a thing or a collective",and they place the focus of responsibility on human activity: "The coypus are not to blame for having arrived here, but we have not heard any politician saying that the problem is the responsibility of the humans who exploited these animals for their fur and then released them outside their habitat," concludes Pagès.