This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies
for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears
above any article. Order a reprint of this article now.
Nutria control goes to the dogs
By Nikki Buskey
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 9:31 p.m.
Years ago, in an attempt to turn the destructive nutria into a commodity, state officials launched
a $4 million campaign to get the swamp rat on the average Louisianan’s menu.
But even famous chefs and fancy recipes couldn’t stir up a Cajun hunger for nutria.
Now a Baton Rouge brother-sister team is hoping to turn slightly less discriminating tastes onto
the lean, healthy meat.
Veni and Hansel Harlan recently launched Marsh Dog, a company that aims to provide dog
owners with healthy, locally made dog treats that not only taste good but help to protect
Louisiana’s wetlands.
“(Nutria) is such a lean, high-protein, low-fat meat source. It’s eaten by humans in South
America and even in Louisiana,” said Veni Harlan, co-owner of Marsh Dog. “Since we’re both dog
people, we thought, ‘This is perfect for dogs.’ It’s kind of a no-brainer.”
Originally imported from South America to be farmed for fur, nutria soon escaped into the wild
and wreaked havoc on wetlands.
Nutria eat the roots of marsh plants, killing them and releasing their hold on the soil. This
damages thousands of acres of marsh grass a year, increasing Louisiana’s coastal erosion
problems.
In 2002, the state launched the Nutria Control Program, which pays hunters and trappers a $5
bounty per nutria tail to kill nutria.
The incentive worked, and in the 2010-2011 nutria season, 338,512 nutria tails worth $1.6
million were collected by trappers. Nutria damage to the marshes has been reduced from more
than 100,000 acres a year to just more than 6,200 acres last year.
But because there is little value in nutria fur and meat, most of the animals go to waste, their
bodies either buried or abandoned in the marshes where they were killed. Just 9 percent of the
nutria harvested during the 2010-2011 season were used for their fur or meat, according to the
Nutria Control Program. The remaining 91 percent, about 326,900 nutria, were killed only so
their tails could be turned in for bounty.
Many environmentalists have hoped a market can again be created for nutria fur and meat to aid
in keeping the species under control.
The Harlans launched their business with the help of a $7,000 grant from the BaratariaTerrebonne National Estuary Program, which gives out annual grants to help combat invasive
species in Louisiana.
“We realized that small groups, schools and individuals have great ideas that public entities like
BTNEP don’t have time to do,” said Michael Massimi, invasive species coordinator with the
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. “The hope is that if Marsh Dog takes off, we’ll
see an increased demand for nutria meat.”
Marsh Dog’s treats, called “Barataria Bites,” are named after the Barataria-Terrebonne National
Estuary, the fastest disappearing land mass on earth. The treats also aim to be natural and ecofriendly, made from Louisiana products including brown rice, sweet potatoes and locally hunted
nutria. They contain no corn, wheat, soy, chemicals, artificial coloring, preservatives or other
additives.
Veni Harlan said she and her brother originally weren’t sure how people would react to the idea.
“We didn’t know what to expect or how much nutria to set aside,”
Veni Harlan said. “We figured we were going to buy all this meat and people are either going to
love it or we’ll be feeding this to our dogs for a long time.”
They found sources of local nutria through the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which
licenses trappers.
Veni Harlan said it’s been rewarding to learn more about Louisiana’s wetlands while developing
the project, and people have been extremely enthusiastic about the nutria treats. She’s had
people contact her from all over the country, she said.
“We’ve had tremendous and positive support. Environmental people love it because it helps the
wetlands, and dog people love it because it’s a healthy treat,” she said. “People like that it’s
homemade and a local product, especially with dog food recalls going on all the time.”
Veni Harlan added it’s been a great avenue to educate people about invasive species and the
destructive impact they have on the environment.
“A lot of people don’t know that nutria are an invasive species or what they do,” Veni Harlan said.
“This is an issue not just for Louisiana but for the entire country.”
Currently the treats are only available in Baton Rouge at Greco’s Pet Supply, Neighborhood Pet
Market and All Pets Hospital. But Veni Harlan said their goal is to soon expand into the New
Orleans market and get up an online store to sell the treats.
For more information visit Marsh Dog’s website at www.marshdog.com.
Staff Writer Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.
Copyright © 2012 HoumaToday.com — All rights reserved. Restricted use only.