Every now and again some mundane incident can jog a memory of something pretty amazing. A couple of days ago, Mark and I watched as a critter swam across from a small inlet to the pier. Since the animal was far away from us, it was hard to identify judging by sight only. It did not take long before I knew it was a nutria rat simply by the way it swam. There was no up and down loping motion like that of an otter. Still, it was not until the critter was near us that we could fully see its face. Yep, a nutria rat was out for its morning swim.
As the "unidentified swimming critter" came toward us, a memory of a similar incident from years ago came flooding back into the brain. I was on the pier early one morn when I saw what appeared to be something swimming across the Bay! That was a far piece for any critter so I figured that it must be either an otter or a nutria rat. Both of those could swim for miles but this animal did not swim like either. It was struggling to keep its head above water. At first, I could barely make out that this was indeed an animal. After a good fifteen minutes of being in the water, the animal was finally getting near enough that I could see that it was neither an otter nor a nutria rat. This was a little dog! The pup had swam all the way across the Bay which included a shipping channel. The poor animal had to be exhausted.
Once the pup was near our pier, it tried to cling to the posts but the barnacles scraped its paws and the waves tossed the pup against the hard posts. I grabbed the fish scoop net and made a mad dash to help the pup. Once I was able to get the little one to shore, I realized that this tiny thing was a poodle! A little black poodle had swum all that way without rest! Of course, the pup was scared, cold and starving. I tried to help it but it cowered in the marsh. After a bit, the little one ate but then scampered off down the lane and I never saw it again.
It bothered me to know that somehow that pup wound up in the water and was not helped. At the time, I had a strong suspicion that the pup's owner had decided to "eliminate" the pet by throwing it into the water. The fact that the little poodle swam all the way across the Bay led me to believe that the poor animal was abused and terrified to start. It broke my heart to know that the dog did not even feel that it could trust me...its rescuer.
The nutria rat, on the other hand, did not need rescuing. These critters are expert swimmers and the adults have few predators except for the alligators. It is not uncommon to see them far out from the shore. The one that Mark and I watched, soon made its way into the marsh. I have a feeling that this was some rogue male coming to visit the little mama that lives far back in the Bayou. I guess we will be seeing some nutria pups in a few months. Oh, geez....more of the critters!
While on the last walk of the evening, I heard a bit of loud splashing in the marsh. This could be one of many things such as an alligator was entering the water, the otters were playing, raccoons were squabbling or the nutria was waking for the night. I waited just a bit to see if whatever was making the noise would come my way. Sure enough, I caught a glimpse of a dark figure under the edge of the pier. Aha! My friend would soon show itself!
At the same time I noticed the critter, it got a scent of me and started to make a great escape! Out from under the pier, a lone nutria swam in the shallows. It turned to look a me a moment then headed across the small cut and into a well used path through the marsh. I had a notion this was the culprit making the large splashes. Here lately, I have noticed that plenty of the knolls of marsh had their roots gnawed. That, in itself, is enough indication of a nutria's presence. Contrary to what most folks think, nutrias are vegans. They do not raid minnow traps nor crab traps. In fact, the animals have no interest in much other than the roots of the marsh. Those, they eat with wild abandon and, given enough of the critters in the area, can ruin much marshland.
So far, the nutria population in the Bayou is being kept in check by the alligators that also reside there. The gators are the main predators of the nutrias so it works out well. Without that natural balance, the marsh would soon disappear and erosion will take away much of the land. The gators do their part in keeping things in proper order. This fat nutria had better watch itself as several nice-sized gators are lurking in the same marsh that it is gnawing!
Ok, so I admit that I will just about give anything in the food world a try. I have no qualms about tasting things for the first time. Granted, sometimes I refuse to take a second bite because I highly dislike the taste but, at least, I will give things a fair taste test. Living on the Bayou, I will say that I have tried a lot of things that other folks deem inedible. Chalk it up to curiosity or perhaps to stupidity but as long as it is not going to make me ill, it is fair game...so to speak. Still, there is one critter that I have not tried as food. The coypu or "bayou rabbit" has not made it to my dining table nor even to the kitchen, for that matter. The odd thing is, I have never had the inkling to even sample the meat. Perhaps I should. Perhaps we all should.
Coypu meat is touted as being much leaner than any other meat. It is said to have more protein than ground beef and yet be very low fat with very little cholesterol. It can be used like most other meats. Stew, jambalaya and chili made with coypu are all supposed to be delicious. The meat can be made into jerky and sausage. With all of these fine ideas and recipes popping up, one would think that this meat would be in high demand. Not so.
I am supposing that the other name for the critter turns a lot of folks away from even trying the meat. Also, the animal's appearance plays a large part in that distaste. Nutria rats truly do look like large rats and not too many folks are willing to chow down on a rat....real ones or otherwise. The nutria is not actually a rat as it is more akin to a porcupine than a rat. (Not that I have ever eaten a porcupine nor a rat, for that matter!) Still, those coypu (nutria rats, bayou rabbits, whatever name you choose) are always available if the need arises. AND! They are just about a sustainable resource at the rate they reproduce. Also, since these are considered an invasive species that cause a lot of damage to marshlands, it is legal to rid the area of them..for whatever reason. Ahh, yes. Coypu might be on the menu soon! Ummmm...just so you will know...it already is on the menu in some restaurants. So if you do not relish eating nutria rat, do not eat the coypu!
