Neuty the nutria, viral pet rodent whose family fought a state to keep him, dies of cancer

Condolences have poured in for a Louisiana couple who successfully battled wildlife authorities to keep their domesticated nutria as a pet, watched the semi-aquatic rodent appear on cable news and accumulate a social media following tens of thousands strong, and then endured the animal’s recent death from cancer. Denny and Myra Lacoste announced Neuty’s death on Monday on Instagram, where more than 37,000 users followed an account dedicated to documenting the nutria’s life. “Neuty passed away peacefully in his sleep Saturday morning on one of his favorite rugs,” the announcement read. “We are devastated and our hearts hurt.” One reply to the post that was representative of the various others said: “What an exceptional creature he was, with the very best family! He’ll be so dearly missed.” Another came from the popular New Orleans-based brewery Urban South, which said “we always loved having Neuty” at the business. The uniquely south-eastern Louisiana saga of Neuty began on Christmas Eve 2020, when he was a days-old baby and the Lacostes found him on the side of a road divided by a drainage canal in their home town, the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. Some of his siblings had just been fatally struck by a car. And it seemed he would have died as well, as the Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana has previously written. Resembling more diminutive capybaras, nutrias are considered to be part of an invasive species. …