THE MUSK RAT.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18877, 22 February 1933, Page 10

THE MUSK RAT.

NOT WANTED HERE. AIORE DANGEROUS THAN RABBITS. HAVOC WITH ITS TUNNELS. Not long ago the suggestion xvas seriously made that the introduction of tiie musk rat, or musquash, into Nexv Zealand xvould be desirable owing to the revenue that could be derived from the fur. But it xvould appear lo be a certainty that, once liberated in the Dominion, the musk rat xvould develop into an even greater pest Ilian the rabbit in Australia.

In 1905 a few pairs of this North American rodent xvere liberated in Central Europe. Since then they have multiplied so rapidly and have done such extensive damage that the German and other Governments have been forced to take active steps to keep them in check. Alusk rats infest streams, canals, ponds, and ditches, and do great damage by burrowing into the banks and building obstructions in the beds of streams.' They also cause damage to crops, destroy fish, and even attack small 'live stock. The introduction into the Dominion of the musk rat would therefore seem to he an experiment xviiich if tried xvould be fraught with disastrous consequences. Tire problem of musk rat control in Germany has now assumed formidable dimensions, and the authorities at present can do lit Me more than hinder Ihe xvestxvard progress of the muskrats and protect at a great cost certain important canals. In tho heavilyinfested areas little more can be done than lo thin down the musk rat population; but the losses inflicted on the rats arc more than repaired each year, not only by the rapid breeding of the survivors, but by the continual influx of newcomers. An estimate of the musk rat population of Central Europe has been made by authorities, and they place it as not less than 100,000,0(10. Gassing, poison, and other recognised methods of eradication have not been found effective.

In North America musk rats arc only tolerated in marshes unfit for anything else, and field observations in Europe show that there the musk rats make their own marshes. As they tunnel each year into the meadows bordering rivers'like the Danube, the banks collapse and the river is progressively widened until finally the surrounding meadows are converted into marshes. The effect produced in a couple of years is startling, and cosily works of drainage, irrigation and embankment are quickly rendered useless. Observations show that Hie musk rat can advance with great rapidity. The officer in charge of musk rat control in Bavaria ringed several muskrats and liberated litem. The greatest wanderer was a male who, when captured 15 days later, had IcavcHcl about 30 miles up-stream against a si rung current and had already constructed burrows in new ground. Musk rats, given their chance in New Zealand, xvould probably think they were in paradise, ami it xvould he an evil day for New Zealand were they ever liberated here s