chainsaw, injured possum. West Philadelphia Chainsaw Massacre? On Mon, May 13, 2013 at 10:08 AM, Joe Clarke <[email protected]> wrote:
> Coming from a large family and two-time recipient of our Playing Possum > award, I can attest to the fact that the animal is noted for appearing > "sickly unto death" (to quote a scripture) in order to fool a predator. > Human's have adapted this same technique with the additions of audible > groans and rolling eyes (moistened with alligator tears), which add a > schmear of dramatic pathos that is effective on Scout masters, arresting > police officers, judges and skeptical mothers. The animal with its limited > knowledge of high culture can only aspire to such heights of > heart-string-tugging fakery. > > Joe > > On Mon, May 13, 2013 at 12:24 AM, Richard Conrad <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Possums often look sick unto death when they actually are doing just >> fine... aka (as Bill Sanderson said) playing possum. >> >> If you see one there is a good chance it is nesting near you, which can >> be problematic r/t communicable health issues and also sometimes property >> damages. They are very prolific critters too, so when there is one adult >> discovered - there may later be many more. >> >> I'd see if you can at least eventually get some professional assistance. >> >> >> On May 12, 2013, at 11:17 PM, Bill Sanderson wrote: >> >> a few years ago, some helpful neighbors saw a possum on the areaway >> beside my house, and thought it looked sick, so they trapped it under a >> basket or box of some kind and brought it to my front steps... >> >> I called animal control, and they came out pretty quickly--this was >> sometime between 7 and 9 at night. They looked at the critter and said, >> yeah--that's a possum all right--looks ok to us--and said they would take >> it and release it in cobbs creek park. >> >> I felt that was a pretty sensible response, although I'd rather the >> neighbors had just left the critter alone... >> >> (a few years before that, our beagle was spending a long time under a >> holly tree at the back of our next door neighbors yard, so I finally went >> out to see what she was doing in there. I found a possum stuck halfway >> over an iron fence--the kind about 3 feet tall with spikes that extend >> above the top rail... The critter had made it half way through but was too >> big to fit the rest of the way. Judging by the pile of droppings beneath >> it and the dogs behavior, it had been there for several days. I got a long >> 2x4, shoved it under the possums hind quarters, lifted it, and eventually >> angled it over the fence and down onto the other side. It did not look in >> the least bit grateful....) >> >> Do remember that "playing possum" is named after the actual behavior of >> these critters... >> >> >> Bill >> >> *From:* missthin >> *Sent:* Sunday, May 12, 2013 10:43 PM >> >> *To:* Brian Siano >> *Cc:* UCNeighbors, univcity >> >> Hi Brian >> >> AFAIK from past experience, unless things have changed, Animal Control >> won't do anything. They'll tell you to trap the possum and then they'll >> come out. When they'd come is another question. But I'd try giving them a >> call, can't hurt! >> >> Good luck >> >> Wendy >> >> >> On Sun, May 12, 2013 at 10:05 PM, [email protected] < >> [email protected]>wrote: >> >>> Got an injured possum in the back yard. Any suggestions for,animal >>> control or rescue at this hour? >>> >>> >>> Sent from my Virgin Mobile Android-Powered Device >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "UCNeighbors" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "UCNeighbors" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> >> >> >> > > > -- > > "How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?" -- Oscar > Wilde <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3565.Oscar_Wilde> > -- Jim Cummings the life of a single human being is worth a million times more than all the property of the richest man on earth
