Very popular in the Philippines, Guam and Indonesia. These Bats eat Fruit, not Mosquito's and Insects like the American Tree Bat. We cut the wings close to the body, so the glands do not smell up the meat. Then throw the body into an open flame, till the skin gets loose enough to remove, Cut the body in half to remove the entrails. The halves are then fried Adobo style with Soy Sauce, Garlic and Black Pepper, or boiled into a soup of Coconut Milk and Ginger. Tasty! Ri Fruit Bats: WhoZoo
think I may have to pass on that one for now. RD. But if I ever find myself in need of a meal it's somthing to remember. Take care Be safe Poacher.
Tastes like Nutria, only a little sweeter... Nutria Population Dynamics – A Timeline 1930s – Imported from fur farms, nutria were released, either intentionally or accidentally, in the Louisiana marshes in the 1930s, and soon after, feral populations were established near the Gulf Coast. Nutria continued to expand their range from there as they were trapped and transplanted into marshes from Port Arthur, Texas to the Mississippi River in 1941. Later that year, a hurricane further dispersed nutria populations in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. Late 1940s – In the late 1940s, nutria were promoted as biological agents for controlling aquatic weeds, primarily water hyacinth, and were transplanted throughout southeastern Louisiana. Rapid population growth followed for several years thereafter. Annual pelt harvest records and damage reports were the primary source of information on population dynamics at that time. Mid-1950s – At this time, reports started coming in describing the damage done to marshes, rice and sugarcane fields, and levee systems, as nutria populations soared to 20 million animals. Biologists described areas where nutria had completely denuded natural levees at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The marsh had been weakened by severe over-grazing, and in 1957, Hurricane Audrey hit southwestern Louisiana. Its storm surge further weakened the marsh as a huge wave of seawater pushed thousands of nutria inland, accelerating the rate at which the animals spread. Soon after, reports of agricultural damage increased, and in 1958 nutria were taken off the list of protected wildlife. 1960s to 1980s – As the state promoted nutria fur as a natural resource, efforts to manage nutria as a pest began to compete with the growing fur industry. In 1965, the nutria was returned to the protected wildlife list. From 1962 to 1982, 1.3 million nutria were harvested annually for their fur from the coastal marshes. Reports of nutria damage declined substantially, and periodic severe weather helped to reduce populations.Mid-1980s – The international fur market began to shrink during the mid-1980s, and, as a result, harvest levels substantially declined. Reports of significant nutria damage to the wetlands began coming from coastal land managers during the 1987-88 harvest season, which had been dramatically less productive than previous years due to the declining fur trade and stock market crash of 1987. Aerial surveys in 1988 confirmed damage was occurring, particularly of the southeastern marshes. 1990s – In the 1990-91 harvest season, only 134,000 nutria were harvested. Aerial wetland damage surveys began in earnest in 1993 and were conducted again in 1995, 1996, 1998-2002. Survey results clearly show that nutria damage in recent years is concentrated in the Deltaic Plain in southeastern Louisiana. This indicates high nutria populations that are exceeding the local carrying capacity. 2000 – In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed an appropriation to address Brown Marsh Dieback and to provide funds for a number of research studies on nutria. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act, also known as the Breaux Act, has provided grant funding for coastal restoration and conservation. In 2002, a final report on Nutria Control Methods was completed by Genesis Laboratories under contract by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. After reviewing a number of possible methods to reduce nutria, the report concludes that the incentive payment program is the best option for coast-wide control. The report confirms the method advocated by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. This program was put in place when the trapping season opened in November 2002. In 1998, the first coast wide nutria herbivory survey was flown, as part of the Nutria Harvest and Wetland Demonstration Program. A total of 23,960 acres of damaged wetlands were located at 170 sites along the survey transects. In 1999, the damaged increased to 27,356 acres located at 150 sites. In 2000, the damage slightly decreased to 25,939 located at 132 sites. In 2001, the damage decreased to 22,139 acres located at 124 sites. In the 2002 survey, the damage decreased again, but only slightly to 21,185 acres located at 94 sites. The survey completed in June 2003 resulted in 84 damage sites covering a total of 21,888 acres. The survey completed in May 2004 showed 69 damage sites covering 16,906 acres. The survey, completed in May 2005, showed 49 nutria damage sites covering 14,260 acres. The most recent survey, completed in May 2006 showed 31 nutria damage sites covering 12,315 acres. When extrapolated to a coastwide estimate, the acres impacted over these years ranges from 102,585 to 46,181 acres (damaged acres x 3.75). The 3.75 multiplication factor comes from the area actually surveyed along transect lines (0.5 miles) and the distance between transect lines (1.87 miles). Vegetative damage caused by nutria has been documented in at least 11 Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) project sites in the Barataria-Terrebonne Basins. The estimate of 80,000 acres of marsh damaged was conservative because only the worse (most obvious) can be detected from aerial surveys. The number of acres being impacted was certainly higher. Since the introduction of the Coastwide Nutria Control Program, the number of impacted acres has dropped to 46,181 acres. When vegetation is removed from the surface of the marsh, as a result of over grazing by nutria, the very fragile organic soils are exposed to erosion through tidal action. If damaged areas do not revegetate quickly, they will become open water as tidal scour removes soil and thus lowers elevation. Frequently the plant's root systems are also damaged, making recovery through vegetative regeneration very slow. Click below on images to see wetland damage caused by nutria.
If you are shooting them for meat or fur, you have to do something else, they sink when you shoot them in the water. Of course, with all the damage, this may be the next prairie dog hunts.
You can make a $4 buck bounty, E.L!!!... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=893207 Hunting Nutria in Louisiana's Bayous State Puts a $4 Bounty on Each Wetland-Destroying Rodent <!-- start inset column --> Melanie Peeples, NPR News Trapper Paul Autin shows off some of his nutria pelts. U.S. Geological Survey Nutria can grow up to 16 pounds and look similar to beavers. They need to eat about 25 percent of their own body weight each day, devouring vegetation that binds soil. The resulting erosion threatens entire wetland ecosystems. Melanie Peeples, NPR News Doug Robinson tallies nutria tails brought in by trappers. Each tail is worth $4. <!-- end of inset column div --><!-- end inset column / start center column -->All Things Considered, December 28, 2002 · Voracious orange-toothed rodents called nutria are devouring Louisiana's endangered wetlands. In the latest attempt to stop the decades of destruction, Louisiana officials have placed a $4 bounty for each rodent captured and killed. In the bayous of southern Louisiana, NPR’s Melanie Peeples met with some enterprising trappers who make money killing the pests. The animal, which looks like a small beaver with a rat-like tail, is native to Argentina and at one time was farmed in Louisiana for its fur and meat. But some nutria escaped, and now the rodent is a pest all over the South, devouring small plants and sparking major erosion problems. And disappearing wetlands mean trouble for Louisiana’s indigenous animals: mink, otters and bald eagles. Years ago, the nutria population was kept in check because trappers could sell the furs for a decent price. "Its brown fur is pretty, and though it's not as fashionable as it used to be, the fur is still used for hats and coat linings," Peeples says. But when that price dropped from $5 a pelt to less than $1 in the 1990s, many trappers just quit -- and the nutria flourished. With the bounty system in place, more trappers are hunting the bayous again. And state officials say there's enough money in the budget to keep the nutria bounty program running for another 20 years. Five years ago, the state encouraged eating nutria as a way to thin out the population -- and for a while, famous Louisiana chefs were serving it up in the finest New Orleans restaurants. Trapper Paul Autin has plenty of nutria meat on hand, but he and his fellow trappers don't eat it much. "We never got into eating it, I guess (because) the looks... it looks like a rat. It’s not a pretty animal."
There are loads of them in Vermilion parish. Rice farmers have been battling them for the last few years. They've damaged or destroyed many a farmer's levies, and damaged quite a few acres of tender rice plants. The bounty is still $4 per tail. They are good food. Cooked like rabbit, they have a similiar taste.
