The government will buy nutrias, a foreign animal species threatening Korea’s native ecosystem in the Nakdong River areas in Gyeongsang Provinces.
 
The Nakdong river office of the ministry announced its plan on Tuesday to reduce the number of nutrias, known as river rats.
 
The government will buy nutrias from local residents that are at least 20-centimeters long in body, excluding their tail length. Compensation of 20-thousand won per head will be given from June 9 to October 31.
 
The authority estimates that up to ten-thousand nutrias live near the Nakdong River, which passes through major cities like Daegu and Busan.