Out on the patio this afternoon in my usual spot, playing a game on my tablet, and a bunch of peafowl came strolling in, as usual. I glanced up from my game to see which birds were here and I noticed...this:
A possum! The peacocks were intrigued:
After the initial 'ick!' factor subsided, I realized the poor thing was in distress. He looked bad--either very ill or injured. I saw him trying to drink water so I deduced that he's not rabid. It didn't faze him in the least to come within inches of me, a human being, in broad daylight. He kept swiping/clawing at the right side of his face/head, and opening his mouth really wide. It seemed like he had something stuck in or on his mouth.
I called Animal Control and they dispatched someone to come get him. I kept him on my patio for an hour, then he wandered into the backyard. I didn't want to lose sight of him before AC arrived.
At one point, I honestly thought he had expired...
But after a few minutes he got back up and walked toward the patio. AC arrived and carefully got him into a carrier. They're going to evaluate him, see if he can be treated and rehabbed, and then released back in this same neighborhood. I may not particularly LIKE possums, but I don't wish harm on any sentient being, so my hopes are that they can fix him up and send him back on his merry way. Maybe he'll pop in from time to time to say hello to me!
A possum! The peacocks were intrigued:
After the initial 'ick!' factor subsided, I realized the poor thing was in distress. He looked bad--either very ill or injured. I saw him trying to drink water so I deduced that he's not rabid. It didn't faze him in the least to come within inches of me, a human being, in broad daylight. He kept swiping/clawing at the right side of his face/head, and opening his mouth really wide. It seemed like he had something stuck in or on his mouth.
I called Animal Control and they dispatched someone to come get him. I kept him on my patio for an hour, then he wandered into the backyard. I didn't want to lose sight of him before AC arrived.
At one point, I honestly thought he had expired...
But after a few minutes he got back up and walked toward the patio. AC arrived and carefully got him into a carrier. They're going to evaluate him, see if he can be treated and rehabbed, and then released back in this same neighborhood. I may not particularly LIKE possums, but I don't wish harm on any sentient being, so my hopes are that they can fix him up and send him back on his merry way. Maybe he'll pop in from time to time to say hello to me!
