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Ragondin


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Out of interest, how would you get rid of rats? Take them to the vet?

Speak to them gently and persuade them of the error of their ways. Buy them a one-way ticket to the seaside. Sponsor them through college.

Have any of you critics noticed what has happened in Burma in the last week?

But then those are people, just people, aren't they. Not as nice as rodents...

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Sorry to ask but what exactly do these creatures do that is so unacceptable and is the destruction to a river bank any worse than Noddy boats with their wake, is it not possable to trap them both and relocate them down stream??

I'm a sucker for a nice photo!!

 

Lilly

"Live and let live wasn't just a movie"[:P]

 

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I suppose I'll have to put the record straight once again.

Ragondin / Coypu are an introduced species that do an immense amount of damage which affects other native species and also the natural filtration system whereby rainwater etc drains into rivers and lakes. The primary problem isn't so much the tunnels as the destruction of aquatic and bank side vegetation which puts many species at risk, including the Large copper butterfly which I have recently written about.

It is permitted to trap them anywhere in France and at any time of year without authorization and without notifying you Mairie.

I have nothing against them as creatures, they are all the same to me, (that includes humans), but they are in the wrong place and need to be controlled, if not eradicated, in France in a swift, humane and compassionate manner.

Chris

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[quote user="Frenchie"]

I know they are a menace to river banks and lakes, but I can't help thinking they were introduced in France by men .............................................................................

 

[6]

[/quote]

Men make mistakes......... or hadn't you noticed?  [:D]

 

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Leaving them alone is not an option - a byelaw requires the ragondin traps to be set if they are seen on your property because of the damage they cause to the many local étangs when left to breed uncontrolled.  They eventually undermine the dykes that retain the étang waters and drain the lake, as happened to someone from another area who contacted me last year to ask if I knew anyone who could rebuild their étang, which had disappeared overnight. 

Somebody suggested simply moving them downstream.  Brilliant idea.  Why didn't I think of that.

Read this:

http://etangs.ifrance.com/ragondin.htm

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[quote user="SaligoBay"][quote user="Frenchie"]

I know they are a menace to river banks and lakes, but I can't help thinking they were introduced in France by men .............................................................................

 

[6]

[/quote]

Men make mistakes......... or hadn't you noticed?  [:D]

 

[/quote]

All I notice is that once again man is responsible for what happens to him........

And ragondins now have to be exterminated..

They were not part of the wildlife in France. Some silly people introduced them here, and now we are quarelling about the most humane way to eradicate them..........

Here in deux sèvres, I ve seen poisoned carrots left on the riverbanks by the authorities, a few years back, in the Marais Poitevin, now I don't know how they eradicate them, I'll ask a friend who lives there, where there are so many.  

 

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I'd be very interested to know anything useful you can find out, Frenchie.

Just to recap, the ragondin catcher put the trap down a fortnight ago, told

me to check it daily and, if one was caught, to strike it through the

bars with a metal spike to kill it.  I thought no more about

this for a fortnight as daily checks revealed nothing in the trap.  I

moved it to a new position by the stream the day before yesterday and

woke to find a raggy in the trap yesterday morning.  Now faced with the

practicality of killing what turned out to be a largish, leaping, agile

beastie in a large cage, the impracticality of what had been proposed

by the catcher struck me with some force.  I remembered that someone

else had suggested that their neighbour simply drowned them in the

cage.  Not sure about this option either, I posted on the forum - the

picture was a mistake, as it doesn't show the huge orange-yellow front

teeth and huge claws to best effect.  Thereafter no better suggestion

was proposed than the drowning method.  So drowning it was.  Why anyone

should think there was any pleasure to be had in killing the creature,

by whatever method, is beyond me. Personally, I have no blood lust and

used to be squeamish about emptying mousetraps until I came to live in

the countryside.

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[quote user="chris pp"]

I suppose I'll have to put the record straight once again.

Ragondin / Coypu are an introduced species that do an immense amount of damage which affects other native species and also the natural filtration system whereby rainwater etc drains into rivers and lakes. The primary problem isn't so much the tunnels as the destruction of aquatic and bank side vegetation which puts many species at risk, including the Large copper butterfly which I have recently written about.

[/quote]

Nothing like the Newbury bypass then...............................................[:)]

I've got several families of coypu  in my river bank. It is a real pleasure to stroll down and sit quietly watching their antics and in over five years of being here there is, as Chris has said,  absolutely no further destruction of the river bank. Vegetation is not a problem here as its quite overgrown.

I guess some people just don't get it................................but what a sad day it will be when 'man' has succeeded in destroying everything on this planet.

IMHO of course, which, contrary to the belief of some, I am entitled to have. [:P]

Leave the Moles alone................................................................................[:)]

 

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The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek terms eu meaning good and

thanatos meaning death. A “good death” would be one that occurs with minimal

pain and distress. Euthanasia is the act of inducing humane death in an animal.

It is the responsibility of Wildlife Control Operators to ensure that if an animal's life

is to be taken, it is to be done with the highest degree of respect and with the

emphasis on making the death as painless and distress free as possible.

Euthanasia techniques should result in rapid loss of consciousness followed by

cardiac or respiratory arrest and the ultimate loss of brain function. In addition

the technique should minimize distress and anxiety experienced by the animal

prior to loss of consciousness.

Drowning, freezing or using a vehicle to supply carbon monoxide are not acceptable methods of

euthanizing any animal.

 

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/license_permits_apps/docs/WCO_Training_Manual.pdf

 

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Reading through this thread from yesterday afternoon I can't help wondering how many of you are still talking to, having aperos with and eating meals with your neighbours after you've seen yesterday's pregnant cat isn't so today, but can't see any kittens around?

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Thanks for the link, Christine.  However, I'm not sure whether the rules for licensed pest controllers in Oregon are more relevant in this case than the Victoria State authorities ruling on the destruction of cane toads.  At least I read it.

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/features/RuralRevolution/asp/070723coypu.aspx

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?fr=1&si=99

http://etangs.ifrance.com/ragondin.htm

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Benjamin - I think I can guess what you are implying. But when a cat has kittens you won't see them for a few weeks anyway. She will have chosen a secure spot to leave them, and ventures out herself soon after the birth, for food etc.
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I had always thought that drowning was meant to be one of the least painful ways to die along with carbon monoxide inhalation (gassing yourself with your car exhaust) and hypothermia.

Doing a quick scan on google I have found 3 accounts from people who nearly died drowning and it doesn't seem that bad!  Much better than being burned at the stake or staked with a nasty pointed stick or  being poisoned (can be extremely painful).  Here are 3 accounts FYI:

Having

nearly drowned once the little I can add is that it didn't hurt. From what I

see on tv it's horrific. But when it was actually happening to me, I refused to

breathe and blacked out, underwater, in the ocean. When I came to I was on the

dry ground having CPR done. I do not have any memory of pain.

 

I almost drowned when I was a kid and I can say that was not as

bad as you imagine. I remember being underwater, the peace and tranquility and

I felt I didn't want anyone to get me out of the water.

I

almost died drowning once. I can tell you that it is very unpleasant at first,

you're really panicky, obviously, and it's painful not to breath. It's not

quite like any other pain, though, it's like... irritating, too, like when you

try not to swallow but your body wants you to. It's achy. But after a while,

you start to give up, and it stops hurting. You feel kind of at peace. Your

brain has so little oxygen that you stop panicking, and you kind of relax,

until you pass out. That's when I was rescued, obviously. And usually when you

pass out from lack of oxygen, you start breathing even though you're

unconcious, but when you're under water, you obviously can't, so you die.

Pix

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[quote user="Patf"]Benjamin - I think I can guess what you are implying. [/quote]

That's my problem, too subtle by half.  [:D]

Just to be a bit more specific; rural French families get rid of unwanted kittens by drowning them.

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Ours don't.

The cats are semi-feral, and are encouraged - a little - to keep down the vermin. The kittens are born in the outbuidings (ours, by the look of it) and grow up (or not) pretty naturally. Which means a low survival rate. We seem to have a new set of cats each time we go out.

What I don't understand is that, from the evidence, the cats mostly live on local birdlife, often pigeons, so the benefit to the farmers must be pretty marginal.

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