April 12, 2026

California is facing a fresh nutria invasion — and state officials now suspect humans may have put the 20-pound, burrowing rodents back on the map. DNA testing shows the pests, once thought wiped out in the state, are linked to animals in Oregon, not a leftover California population from the 1970s. That raises a damaging question: accidental release, or something more deliberate? The semi-aquatic rodents can tear up water infrastructure, banks and levees, putting people, livestock and heavy equipment at risk, and wildlife officials say the evidence points to reintroduction, not natural spread.

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