Nutrias are bigass swamp rats and Mr. Petre was likely a fur trader in the 1970s before the rodent was classified as an invasive species in the U.S. Besides being environmentally destructive, nutrias are such prolific breeders that they outstripped the demand tor their fur, the nutria fur trade business collapsed, trapping and killing stopped… then their populations exploded.
[Photo found here. Video and more about nutrias here.]
Tacky Raccoons 
eek
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I was in NOLA many years ago, saw the biggest rat I’ve ever seen in my life, the size of a cat. Had to be a nutria, but I didn’t know about them then.
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Very cool clip, s genuine character. And not a video game player, either.
Nice reference to Princess Bride.
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I wonder if he’s still around – old guys like that are immortal. As for The Princess Bride, I’m clueless. I guess it’s about a Pixar rat infestation or something.
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Up until a few minutes ago I thought The Princess Bride was some kind of Disney animation pablum. Never saw it, maybe I ought to.
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A cult-status movie made from an archetype fairy tale book by William Goldman (with a possibly confusing fictional premise delivered with a straight face as fact ) orbiting around a storytelling session between father and son. Read the book first and then the movie.
Oddly, Rob Reiner directed and did a fine job. His nuttiness did not intrude. A pleasant bit of storytelling.
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I like confusing. Brazil is one of my favorite movies.
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At least if ya git hungry enough you can eat them… shorter pig?
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Prolly okay in a stew if you pour off the grease and spice it up enough to tame the gamey.
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Outside of banana rats, nutria rats ranked up there with stuff I didnt want to run into.
Nutria rats made their way up on the river and a few of the more “coon ass” tug boat dudes talked about eating that stuff once. Yeah, its just worth shooting. Beaver doesnt make much in China anymore and it is getting bad enough that they are given the dynamite treatment.
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Biggest rat I ever saw was in NOLA, size of a cat. Now I realize it was probably a nutria. I’ll stick with gophers and the occasional roof rats.
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Sounds about right. The made it up the river from the IWW and outlying waters.
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