Norman Bates He Aint
But apparently he's just as scary. A woman from Abbeville, Louisiana has filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart because the local store allowed their pet Nutria to run loose without alerting the shoppers. Rebecca White was so freaked out when she spotted Norman that she jumped back and her cart rolled over her foot, breaking two bones. This begs a number of questions... What's a Nutria? It's a large furry rodent (pictured, right). Why was one running around the store? Why did the employees name him Norman? And what the heck did she have in her cart that was so heavy? You can read more about it here.
Comments
Normally I'd agree, Expat, but have you ever seen a nutria up close? If I suddenly spotted a dog sized rat running at me from under a clothing rack or something, I'd be slightly surprised.
Posted by Jmonkeh on 05/08/09 at 09:21 AM
Nutria are the bane of Louisiana wetlands. They destroy the plant life that helps to hold the soil, thus making the soil lose. When a storm comes through (not just hurricanes) the lose soil gets washed out making the wetlands shrink. The wetlands are our barrier from storm surges allowing more water to move further inland and causing more stress on a weakened levee system.
Not sure how much it is but there is a price on nutria pelts encouraging the killing of the pesky, non-indigenous, overgrown rats.
Not sure how much it is but there is a price on nutria pelts encouraging the killing of the pesky, non-indigenous, overgrown rats.
Posted by Madd Maxx on 05/08/09 at 09:27 AM
Hah, yeah, there was an episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike went on a ride along with a dude in LA who drives around in the back of a pickup and hunts nutria with a rifle, Maxx. I love that show.
Posted by Jmonkeh on 05/08/09 at 10:32 AM
Thank you, Doug, for answering my question about the cart breaking her foot. You are absolutely right, too. Every shopping cart I've ever used had trouble rolling over dust specs on the floor, let alone someone's foot. If she pulled it towards herself so hard that it went up on her foot, that's her problem. She did it to herself and shouldn't get any compensation for it.
patty, I once got yelled at for trying to sneak a kitten into a restaurant. It was going to be a birthday present and the staff went nuts over my trying to bring it in. If that Wal-Mart had food in it, and most of them do nowdays, there's no excuse for that thing to be running around.
patty, I once got yelled at for trying to sneak a kitten into a restaurant. It was going to be a birthday present and the staff went nuts over my trying to bring it in. If that Wal-Mart had food in it, and most of them do nowdays, there's no excuse for that thing to be running around.
Posted by Nethie on 05/09/09 at 12:55 AM
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Category: Animals | Lawsuits