Petting large rodents the size of Border Terriers is not on Metro’s list of ‘best things to do in Prague’. Yet some people still do it. Tourists in Czechia’s capital regularly come face to face with nutria, large semiaquatic rodents native to South America that look like a cross between a rat and a capybara. Some mistake them for beavers and offer a curious pat, while others flee, convinced they are giant, disease-ridden rats.

Recognised by their orange front teeth and rat-like tails, the mammals, also named copyu, can be seen along the Vltava River that splits the city in two. One tourist shared her interaction with a nutria on TikTok, writing: ‘Petting the giant water rats in Prague thinking they were friendly beavers.’. She can be seen offering her hand to pat the animal as it rests its head and paw on her palm. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video.

Up Next. A beach along the waterfront is, for example, so infested with nutrias that it is officially named on Google Maps as ‘Nutria Beach’. One of the reviews, posted just a few months ago, reads: ‘Loved this little beach… Swan and capybara are adorable (and they aren’t afraid of humans) and easily made this experience one of the highlights in Prague.’. Another tourist travelling with his family confused the mammals for otters and recommended to people to bring vegetables to feed them.

‘You can see elderly ladies bringing them food, the otters are very friendly, we were with my wife for more than two hours watching them eat and swim,’ the post on Google said. A few people had caught up on the fact that the animals were not otters, simply writing,’ Not otter…’. Best thing to do in Prague #nutria #prague #bestthingtodo #onethingtodoinprague #praha #praguenutria #sacethenuttia #whoelsehasdonethis #dothis #dothisinprague #rats #dontfeedtheflyingrats #sweetanimals #strangeanimalst.

Anotherperson commented: ‘Yes. Nutria appear there. They are not afraid of people. A cool, free attraction in Prague.’. Originally from South America, the species was brought to Europe in the 19th century for their fur and meat. Weighing up to nine kg and measuring over half a metre in length, nutrias have since spread across the continent, thriving in wetlands and rivers. While in South America they are considered harmless, Polish authorities have previously warned people against getting close to them.

The animals often live with rats, and can spread diseases. Their bites can also be deep due to the length of their teeth. Over the past several years, multiple attacks by nutrias have been reported. 🇬🇧Feeding coypu family was one of the most strange experiences I’ve ever had! We went to take some photos at Prague’s Střelecký Island. And then we saw that cute old gentleman was feeding some animals looks like between otter and mouse 🐭they were just waiting patiently for their food. Of course I wasn’t successful feeding them at first because I panicked a little bit but then I made it😍 🇹🇷Prag’ın Střelecký Adası’na fotoğraf çekmeye gittiğimizde tanıştık koypularla. Su samuru-fare arasında görünen bu canlılar sakince sizin onlara çerez vermenizi bekliyorlar. Tabii ki başta ben biraz korkup zavallı koypuların yüzlerine bisküvi düşürdüm ama sonunda beslemeyi başardım 😍 #nutria #coypu #koypu #prague #europe #swan #animal #mouse #otter #cute #travel #travellife.

Previously, Václav Nejman, an expert from the Forests of the Capital City, pointed out the dangerous symbiosis of various rodents. ‘We often see mothers with children. They think that they are feeding the nutria,’ he said. ‘But sometimes it’s just one nutria surrounded by rats. So there are really bizarre situations.’. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.

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