I think that’s blood dripping from its fangs.
I’ve met a rat or two in my day that I’ve liked, but generally rats aren’t at the top of my list of furry friends. It all goes back to that classic Disney movie Lady and the Tramp. Do you remember when a rat gets into the house and tries to attack the baby? Those Siamese cats are useless in the situation! It’s Lady the cocker spaniel that saves the baby from the killer disease-infested rat. Then there is sweet little Scabbers in the Harry Potter series, Ron Weasley’s hand-me-down pet. Well, it turns out that Scabbers wasn’t sweet after all–he was the traitor Peter Pettigrew in disguise! The only good rats are the ones in the the Rats of Nimh, and honestly, that’s a work of fiction so it doesn’t count (unlike Lady and the Tramp and the Harry Potter books were are completely factual non-fiction works).
Giant rat-like creatures originally from South America have taken up resident in Washington state and are wrecking havoc on the local wildlife there. These semi-aquatic rodents not only carry disease but can also be prone to violence such as car-jacking, gun trafficking, and murder! (Full article) These creatures were brought here in the 1930’s by fur breeders looking to make a profit from their coats. As it turns out, American women don’t want to wear rat fur–go figure! As the fur farms failed, their occupants were set free.
We need to take up arms against these homeland invaders! Away with the giant rats! Who’s with me?
So, while horses are a welcome site on our homeland (read post), these nutria things are not. Leave the horses alone and euthanize the icky rat-things.
She is Beloved 