I vote that it be rendered extinct.
Don't know anything about this species, but the other North American k-rats are actually sort of adorable little animals. They're nocturnal, so while driving on dirt roads in the desert at night, you'll be surprised at how numerous they are.
As for defensive mechanisms, they don't really have any. When they're caught, they "never" bite either, unlike other rodents.
(I put quotes around "never" because in all my years, I've never heard of one biting a human. Except on one occasion: One of the young biologists I used to work with said her professor was handling k-rats and told the class not to worry, they never bite. Then it bit him. Guess it didn't hurt, but it shocked him.
As for me, I've handled k-rats during some small-mammal trapping surveys, but I always handled them by the scruff of the neck. I just wasn't willing to take the chance.)