New Orleans, Louisiana - Eat Nutria, stop coastal erosion

Nutria, those big fat orange-toothed rodents found in the marshland of Louisiana, have been a pain in the state's butt for years. In Jefferson Parish, suburbs of New Orleans, the outspoken Sheriff Harry Lee ok'ed groups of deputies to go out at night to blast as many nutria as they could, to get rid of the infestation. This was the best solution after deciding that floating rafts containing poisoned yams might not be a wise course of action.

The latest story is that the state is going to dedicate $2 million to encourage the public to eat nutria. Most people think they're swamp rats and don't want to ever eat them. [JuliePosne, 12/21/1997]