After much public outcry, state officials now say they will let a Louisiana couple keep a 22-pound nutria.
BATON ROUGE, La. — After much public outcry, state officials now say they will let a Louisiana couple keep a 22-pound nutria -- a beady-eyed, orange-toothed, rat-tailed rodent commonly considered a wetlands-damaging pest -- as a pet that frolics with their dog, snuggles in their arms and swims in the family pool.
The announcement came after more than 17,000 people signed an online petition demanding that the state leave Neuty and his family alone. The rodent has been living with the Lacostes for more than two years. The wildlife department initially said Thursday that it had arranged for the animal to be transported to the Baton Rouge Zoo, citing state law banning the ownership of a nutria, which is considered an invasive species. But after the response, the agency provided special conditions allowing the family to keep the nutria as a pet within the law, according to the newspaper.
Myra Lacoste said she and her husband conceded to several stipulations, including regular veterinary checkups and keeping it caged when at the family's seafood business, in order keep their pet.
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