The Story of A Friendship

  As usual, Mark and I headed to the pier late this evening.  And, as usual, we met up with an old friend.  Just as we stepped up on the pier, Mark called my attention to something almost hidden in a clump of marsh grass.  Ahh, a nutria was devouring the root system of a clump of marsh that had grown almost under the pier.  While Mark stayed with the dog, PJ, I eased my way closer to the animal.  I was not sure how it would react to my presence alone much less to both of us and a large dog.  I started snapping photographs at about fifteen feet from the critter.  The nutria looked at me then returned to her supper.  I eased closer yet.  Once again, the nutria looked at me and started its munching once again.  Hmmm...the animal did not seem one bit frightened.  I eased closer.  This time, the critter eyed me cautiously but kept eating.  The animal was intent on getting its fill this evening.  By this time, I was standing almost directly above the critter.  The pier was about four feet higher than the mudflats where the nutria was dining.  Still, no move was made to escape the monster behind the camera.

  Once Mark and PJ started ambling down the pier, the nutria decided that enough was enough and she moved across the small puddle of water.  She now was about fifteen feet away again.  There, she watched us intently but made no move to scurry into the marsh.  We decided to let her continue her meal of marsh roots.  

  Nutrias do a lot of damage to the marshes along the Gulf Coast.  They have a liking for marsh roots and, once the roots are destroyed, the marsh dies and erosion occurs.  That is generally bad news.  Nutrias reproduce rapidly and when you get hundreds of the rodents in any given area, the damage can be great.  Thankfully, the alligators and eagles keep things in check here on the Bayou.  The nutria, today, was actually doing us a favor.  The marsh she was eating had sprouted up right in the mooring spot of our small skiff.  In fact, the entire canal where the boat is launched into the Bay has overgrown.  As it sits, there would be no getting the boat out from its mooring spot.  The little nutria can munch to her heart's content where she was tonight.  Hopefully, there, she will be safe from predators and will live happily under the pier. 

  As I photographed the nutria this evening, I could not help but to think of another some years back.  When Hurricane Katrina hit the Bayou, she stacked debris up against the Little Bayou House some places ten feet deep.  While we were trying to dig our way out, I could hear a weak cry of some small animal buried deep under the debris.  While searching for the stranded animal, I came across a resin cherub lawn ornament and pulled it from the debris.  Under it, I saw a pair of sad eyes.  Under all of that mess, an infant nutria stared up at me as if asking for help.  I reached down and gingerly picked up the critter.  My heart melted a bit.  I did not need to care for a critter at that time as we could barely take care of ourselves.  "Well, Little One, I will release you back into the Bayou and wish you well but that is about all I can do at the moment." I told it.  Down at the marsh edge, I set the little one in the water and was fully surprised to hear it squeak again.  Then, from the marsh an adult came swimming toward us.  Mama and Baby were reunited after the most destructive storm to ever hit here.  I felt good.  Tears welled up inside me as I stood amidst the total devastation that we were fighting.  I needed to see something positive and it took a pair of rodents to bring that to me.  Maybe that is why I have a soft spot for these critters even though most folks hate them.