Edward Avery McIlhenny
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Edward Avery McIlhenny (March 29, 1872 – August 8, 1949), son of Tabasco Company founder Edmund McIlhenny, was an American businessman, explorer, bird bander and conservationist. He established a private wildlife refuge around his family estate on Avery Island and helped in preserving a large coastal marshland in Louisiana as a bird refuge. He also introduced several exotic plants into Jungle Gardens, his private wildlife garden.
Edward Avery McIlhenny | |
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Born | Edward Avery McIlhenny (1872-03-29)March 29, 1872 |
Died | August 8, 1949(1949-08-08) (aged 77) Avery Island |
Nationality | American |
Occupations |
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Family | Edmund McIlhenny (father) John Avery McIlhenny (brother) |
McIlhenny is sometimes blamed for the introduction of exotic nutria, also known as coypu, into Louisiana where they are a major ecological problem. Although he was neither the first to introduce their farming in the area nor to release them into the wild, he was a major proponent of the animals' introduction and an avid self-promoter, making him a local legend inextricably linked with the origin of nutria in the state.