Is Florida About to Be Swamped With Capybara?

Motherboard ^ | August 20, 2016 | Sarah Emerson

[C19fan]

Capybara are real damn cute. Look at this bugger. In fact, capybara are so endearing, that some people may have been importing them to own as pets. This might explain why the 100-pound rodents, which are native to South America’s marshlands, have been showing up in places where they don’t belong. According to biologist Elizabeth Congdon, an assistant professor at Bethune-Cookman University, the state of Florida could have a serious capybara problem—and it might be the fault of exotic pet owners.

[Scythian_Reborn]

I think we should import these ...

[Afterguard]

Nice town. We go there often. Mrs. Afterguard enjoys the funky little shops on Center Street. Zip 32003 here.

[Bulwyf]

Very nice.

Is it worth the effort to skin and eat? Looks bony.

[Scythian_Reborn]

Very nice. Is it worth the effort to skin and eat? Looks bony.

It's a real create, see The Maned Wolf

[Bulwyf]

Interesting. Up in my neck of the woods, I’m used to seeing grizz, timbers, lions, etc.

[PeterPrinciple]

When I was in Africa, these were called supper.

While in the field, they would run up to these, grap them by the tails and spin them like a bucket of water so they wouldn’t get bit and then find something to hit their head with.

[libstripper]

Good eating for the pythons.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Right, all we need is large rodents. Florida pet owners are a menace.

[glorgau]

Right, there has to be something around to feed the invasive Burmese Pythons.

[NorthMountain]

BBQ? Capybara steak? Roast haunch of Capybara?

Or do they taste like crap?

[NorthMountain]

Who wouldn't want to own an ROUS?

I don't believe they exist.

[NorthMountain]

Now, my questions are, what is a good caliber and load to use?

.223 Rem, 55gr V-Max?

[C19fan]

Don’t know why they don’t served Capybara at Texas de Brazil. :)

[donozark]

Tastes like chicken. Everything does. To Andrew Zimmern.

[COBOL2Java]

Tastes like chicken. Everything does. To Andrew Zimmern.

...except chicken. It tastes like goat.

[Vinnie]

I would absolutely protect the armadillo to control those damn nasty ants.

You do know armadillos can carry leprosy.

[Kommodor]

Yum!

11 herbs and spices?

[BigEdLB]

I imagine its what you feed them. Whole grains, veggies and fruit, they’d taste Ok.

[TxAg1981]

Non-game animal...therefore no bag limit, no possession limit. The only limits are dictated by the amount of ammo you have.
I'm not a Florida resident but that is how non-game species are handled in other areas.
I bed they would be fun to bust with 22hornet.
I bet they taste like chicken too!

[WMarshal]

They have to feed the Burmese Pythons somehow.

Florida lost a lot of subtropical/tropical animals and plants during the last ice age and it is ripe for recolonization. The range of tropical and subtropical species in Mexico has been creeping north for 10,000 years. The Armadillo is a perfect example. It has naturally expanded its range from Texas to most of the southeast: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-banded_armadillo