Posted on 07/06/2005 6:31:30 AM PDT by djf
SKAGIT COUNTY - A rodent that can decimate crop land has just been discovered in Skagit County -- an area with an economy that depends on agriculture.
It's called nutria and it is native to South America.
They look like a beaver, but they are much more dangerous.
The nutria is a rodent that lives in the water and feeds on the land. It stops nothing short of eating every kind of crop, plant, marsh or forest.
Bottom line: they are an enemy to the environment and a nightmare to farmers.
"They eat everything. They are hungry, they breed like gang busters and they eat everything!" said farmer Brian Olson.
The nutria can breed five litters a year, with up to 12 young per litter. Their multiplying numbers can destroy farmland land quickly. They can also flood farmland because they burrow holes into dikes as dens.
Link to full article:
http://www.komotv.com/news/mnewsaction.asp?ID=37462
Paging Jimmy Carter....
If you ever watch the show on the comedy network with the comedian who stays up all night (I forget the title) there is an episode in N.O. where he rides around with the N.O. police shooting these things as a nuisance. They apparently are a real menace.
G-Men are known for their fecundity?
Import anacondas..a bio-friendly, environmentally-safe means of nutria control...
Don't they eat those things in Louisiana?
Heart Healthy 'Crock-Pot' Nutria
2 hind saddle portions of nutria meat
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 tomato, cut into big wedges
2 potatoes, sliced thin
2 carrots, sliced thin
8 Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup water
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup demi-glace (optional)
Layer onion, tomato, potatoes, carrots and Brussels sprouts in crockpot. Season nutria with salt, pepper and garlic, and place nutria over vegetables. Add wine and water, set crockpot on low and let cook until meat is tender (approximately 1-1/2 hours). Garnish with vegetables and demi-glace. Makes four servings.
IIRC, their fur is valuable for hats and coats; like all aquatic furs, it is durable.
Not to worry. Government farm subsidies will take care of things.
The show is Insomniac, and the guy is Dave Atell. My son watches it some.
From what I heard, they are actually extraordinarily tasty.
Unlike the other rodents in Seattle...
I think we have just solved the hunger problem in Africa.
My husband might have seen one of these on our property in Whatcom County. He saw some kind of rodent that he couldn't identify.
Did PETA/ELF liberate the nutria from a fur farm?
I've heard they taste good.
Given the average Seatle-ite's gun control views I'd say these critters are here to stay.
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