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Coypu attack!


Ty Korrigan
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ARGH!

Giant rat mauled the face my Parson Jack Russell.

I can't you how much I want revenge...

Milou flushed the thing out when we walked by a rural etang, a place I have walked regularly many times before.

Off to the vets tomorrow...

Then to Point Vert to buy a trap...

I never realised just how dangerous Coypu are...

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Don’t delay visiting the vet as, apart from physical damage they can also carry leptospirosis.  Also, be careful if you have handled anything related to the Ragondin yourself (as you might also be at risk).  When I had a piegeur at my place (visiting every day for a couple of months, catching and despatching one or more most days), he always wore gloves and regularly warned me about the disease risks from them.

I used to go out with him and watch him despatching the trapped animals – they are vicious and have big teeth (they actually get surprisingly large as well.  The little 8” ones I used to see around are babies.  The size of the adults took me by surprise.

I only know about my communes but when I needed to reduce population numbers I contacted the local chasse to find a piegeur.  He spent ages visiting and cleared out loads.  They actually get paid for killing them (he used to cut off their tails and the carcass was then put in a freezer in the commune somewhere where it was periodically empties by some organisation for safe disposal.  Anyway, the local chasse do the “Ragondin trapping” free as a service to the community.

 

Ian

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This sounds very like an animal we were warned about today.  One of our neighbouring farmers visited us today somewhat concerned to tell us about "a large rat with big buck teeth". living in a pond very close to the house.  He described it as eating grass, burrowing into the pond banks, and weighing up to 14 kilos.  He said it was vicious, and that we should keep well clear.

I asked him to write down the name so I could research it, and he wrote "rat gaudin" or "lievre de marais".  I think that "rat gaudin" sounds very like "ragondin".

We do not have pets or small children, so should we be concerned?  The pond is about 10 metres from the front door, and the farmer said that they had come up from the river to make their burrow in the pond.

Thanks,

David

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Yes, ragondins seem to be fairly widespread.  You may find your Mairie will provide traps for free.  We had one in the étang 2 years ago, not a giant but about the size of a Jack Russell.  Finally dispatched by a blow to the back of the head with an iron rod.

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They are not actually dangerous unless attacked. They will not actively seek out other creatures, are vegetarian and generally peaceful, so not a direct threat to anything other than habitat, but when attacked they will defend themselves ferociously.

They are of course, on my "hit list" as an introduced species.

The ones that were in the UK were dealt with rather efficiently, as I understand it, and are no longer present, although I guess there may be an odd one around.

Chris

 

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]In East Anglia, I believe. When I were but a lad I saw one in a fairground, advertised as 'the biggest rat in the world'. The spieler said it came from there.
[/quote]

Yes, they caused a lot of damage to the banks of the rivers and broads in Norfolk. A friend who is a doctor went for a chinese meal in Norwich and had a chicken dish. He found a bone that he knew was not from a chicken - it turned out to be coypu! He said it tasted like chicken though!! The restaurant was closed down.[Www]

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If the pond is 10m from the house you may want to get rid of it/them.  They make extensive burrows that I am told can be up to 10 m back from the water (told because I’ve never measured any, etc. and told by the local piegeur who helped reduce the number I have around).  Apparently they can be a bit dangerous to fishermen on larger rivers as poor old fisherman standing on the bank, minding his own business and suddenly the ground collapses beneath him (as the Ragondin tunnel system collapses).

I did come across one “in the house” once (at least in the mill water wheel room – so it had obviously open access and climbed up the mill wheel).  It was in winter and close to the central heating boiler.  As soon as I walked into the room it rushed out and disappeared under the water wheel.

Having one now is less of an issue but they do breed (several litters each year).  When you have larger numbers they can really “get under your feet”.  I once walked into a field (wearing training shoes) and trod on something that rushed-off and leapt in the river.  fortunately is did rush off rather than bite me (it was a Ragondin body length about 8” and an overgrown gate into the field so I did not see it there !!)

 

Ian

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A few years ago we spent a holiday in France overlooking a large lake.  There was an observation platform there so you could watch the wildlife.  On the first evening we spotted what we thought were otters at first sight,  but other people there told us they were Coypu.  Every day we watched the family of Coypu swimming and playing and we were quite unaware that they could be dangerous.  They did seem quite used to people being around but never came too close.
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[quote user="saddie"]When did this serving/eating of coypou happen? They were cleared out of the fens because of their habits of tunneling into the banks/levees.  i thought that this was back in the 60's.[/quote]

It must have been in the early to mid 80's.

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Hello,

 Vets yesterday, super service always. Several sutures to the inside of his mouth and lips.

 The bite has cut his saliva duct and so his cheek is ballooning out as the duct is blocked. It is evidently painfull for him especialy at feeding time and he lacks the saliva for eating so coughs and retches a little.

 If this doesn't resolve itself naturally then back I shall go next week.

 The vet tells me that Leptospirosis is rare...

Bites from ragondan are very common it appears especialy around the face.

 I have now been told by several hunters and the vet that a bigger or more experienced dog should have snapped the 'rats' neck as they are quite delicate in fact.

 His mood subdued which I put down to the discomfort...

I have put these rats in the same catagory along with  giant hogweed and  japonese knotweed...

If I ever win the lotto I shall sponsor the cull of culls....

Thankyou all for your concern

 Ty

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Wish I'd never started to read this thread.  We have a small etang at the bottom of our garden which is owned by the local farmer.   My partner, being a keen fisherman, fishes on it when we visit.  There are quite a few coypu there. We've asked our neighbour about them. He said that the local farmer trapped quite a lot of them a few years ago. He also said that they are nice to eat - but then he is a bit of a joker.

Tony shot three at Easter with his cross bow.  Maybe I'll visit the local maire next week when we're over.

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Due to a recent “bumper harvest”, if anybody is running short of these marvellous creatures I now have a few (OK, actually loads) surplus to requirements.  Free to good loving homes (buyer catches and collects).

Ian [:D]

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I was slightly amused reading this (though very sorry for the dog involved) as I remember my hubby getting a lot of flack on here last year some time when he mentioned shooting or trapping coypu!  People didn't believe us when we said they were known to attack dogs and children - and sometimes even adults, when protecting their young.  They do cause quite a lot of damage to a pond and it can cost a fortune to repair the banks - and of course if you lose a lot of water you can also lose a lot of fish.  People make pate out of them, which seems a bit dodgy bearing in mind the diseases that have been mentioned on this thread?!  (Ugh)
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Not to start an argument Debra, let's be friends, but just to rectify why your "hubby got a lot of flack", here is his first post on the thread concerned :

"We are shortly to complete on our lakes in the Dordogne and I would like to have an air rifle powerful enough to take out a heron or a cormorant (not that I've seen any yet).  I was wondering if they are readily available in France or would I need to buy one in the UK before I go out and then take it over there.  Are there any restrictions for owning air rifles now either in the UK or France?  It has been a while since I owned one and there weren't any then but better safe than sorry."

The ragondins came after.  As for ragondins attacking, without wanting to take their defence and hoping a speedy recovery to your poor little dog Ty, did they actually come out to attack the dog first, or did the little dog sniff out the ragondins first?  We had ragondins near us, as already mentioned on a previous thread about them, noone seemed to be startled by it and we used to watch them swimming and walking about with their young.  We no longer see any and last Summer at about 10 o'clock at night I saw a neighbour's sons stalking around the pond with those bows and arrows.

 

 

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Ah but Christine, if you remember correctly (read more of the thread) we were ridiculed over the very idea that Coypu would attack anything - especially a dog!  (Being vegetarians and all....)  The ragondin were mentioned in the same thread as hubby thought an air gun might still be useful for shooting them (once he'd discovered - and posted - that the birds were actually protected).

If I remember rightly, the other thread I saw re one attacking a dog (can't remember if it was on here or one of the other fora), said that the adult ragondin was nearly the same size as the dog and was protecting it's young, which the dog inadvertently neared.  Perhaps this was what happened?  Christine, you have lots of experience with dogs - wouldn't most breeds of dog naturally chase this sort of thing once it spotted it?

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