Armadillos...

by Paul , Saturday, April 02, 2022, 22:58 (902 days ago) @ pokynojoe

The meat is quite good, especially if you simmer it in coconut milk. The shell can be made into a charango, an Andean stringed instrument.

They are endangered in certain parts of S. America because they are quite good eating. Getting rid of them has never been a problem for me as the obvious way to do so is so easy. Trying to work around the sensibilities of folks who don't want to hurt the non-endangered pest complicates things somewhat. Get a good dog and have him run the critter to bay. Usually what happens is they start digging towards China. Grab the tail, haul it out of the hole (this takes considerable effort, by the way) and then haul that sucker off to the other side of the closest freeway. The next time it tries to head your way someone will whack it for you. A 'dillo's automatic response to being surprised is to jump straight up. Which is why so many get whacked by semi trucks. The kind driver tries to go over the critter without touching it. The critter jumps up, encounters the bottom of the vehicle and ricochets back down to the asphalt. They don't bite, but watch out for those claws. They'll dig a hole in you if you let them.

They dig around looking for worms, grubs and other edibles. Which makes them a nuisance to folks trying to raise a lawn in dry country as that's where the worms and grubs congregate, not out there in the semi-desert.