^ Been there, done that......in 1998
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Rapidly multiplying nutria are devastating Thailand's rice farms
Thai farmland falls foul to furry menace
Farms in Thailand are under siege from the latest farming fad - nutria.
The animals, which look like giant rats, have a voracious vegetarian appetite and are causing havoc in rice paddies up and down the country. At home in the marshy terrain, the rodents' burrowing erodes the fields with devastating results.
With Thailand reeling from its worst recession in decades, farmers desperate for extra cash thought nutria were the answer to their prayers.
The rodents are cheap to buy, multiply at a terrific rate and can be sold at a profit.
Farmer Panya Meethong saw the animals as his economic saviour.
"When I was just rice farming I didn't have enough money to pay for my children's school fees. Life was a real struggle. Then I saw my neighbour breeding the nutria earning lots of money so I decided to have a go."
Originally from South America, nutria were brought to Thailand three years ago by a Taiwanese businessman who set up companies to promote the animals.
Farmers make their money by buying a breeding pair and selling their offspring back. The animals are finally sold for their meat or fur.
However, Thailand's farmers are not about to go through a nutria breeding revolution.
The problem is that the market for nutria meat and fur has never really developed. Unable to sell the animals, farmers turn them loose in the swampy rice paddies where they cause tremendous damage to the vegetation.
Fearing environmental disaster, the government is considering a complete ban on the import and export of the animals.
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Suthiporn Chirapanda, said: "We think that nutria are detrimental to farming in Thailand, so at the moment, the government is not going to support nutria farming and we want to discourage it."
Livestock officers now have the job of searching for the runaway rodents which are creating a serious problem.
Too much of a menace to be set free, slaughter looks like the only option for the unwanted nutria.
BBC News | Asia-Pacific | Thai farmland falls foul to furry menace
