New Orleans

New Orleans Alerts

Alert

A picture of New Orleans with the letters MSY

blue

Axios New Orleans Partners

Axios New Orleans Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Get smarter, faster on what matters in New Orleans with Carlie Kollath Wells and Chelsea Brasted.

Axios New Orleans

Standard

New Orleans Members

Membership

Image shows a woman in a crown throwing a dead nutria.

The Plaquemines Parish Seafood Festival queen participated in the annual nutria toss. Image: Courtesy of Louisiana Nutria Fest

The Louisiana Nutria Fest in Venice brings awareness to conservation, with an emphasis on eradicating the invasive and destructive species.

Hunters harvested a record 1,109 nutria over the weekend, organizers tell us.

Must see: The annual nutria toss is going viral. Watch the whole video.

Must see: Louisiana festival queen throws nutria

<figure><img alt="Image shows a woman in a crown throwing a dead nutria." height="714" id="c5fc9af4-a50b-4159-803b-222063653a01" src="https://images.axios.com/YrMx26RLZ1sAuATCkDLqN1ksPvQ=/2026/02/23/1771886576497.gif" width="476"/><figcaption>The Plaquemines Parish Seafood Festival queen participated in the annual nutria toss. Image: Courtesy of Louisiana Nutria Fest</figcaption></figure>Only in Louisiana...<ul><li>The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Louisiana Nutria Fest" data-vars-click-url="https://www.louisiananutriafest.com/" data-vars-content-id="b94b7ec3-2c9f-4657-870b-42d9ac1a1f29" data-vars-headline="🐀 Nutria-tossing time" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.louisiananutriafest.com/" target="_blank">Louisiana Nutria Fest</a> in Venice brings awareness to conservation, with an emphasis on eradicating the invasive and destructive species.</li><li>Hunters harvested a record 1,109 nutria over the weekend, organizers tell us.</li></ul>Must see: The annual nutria toss is going viral. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Watch the whole video" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVClArcjY5y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" data-vars-content-id="b94b7ec3-2c9f-4657-870b-42d9ac1a1f29" data-vars-headline="🐀 Nutria-tossing time" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVClArcjY5y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank">Watch the whole video</a>.

Must see: Louisiana festival queen throws nutria

More New Orleans stories