I have never laid eyes on a live opossum in my life (outside a zoo). And I certainly didn't expect the first one I saw to be on a railing just outside the door of a house on Clinton Street.
This lone beast, of medium size, grey coat, pink tail and blazing black eyes, sat balanced on a wrought-iron fence just inches near the front door of Carroll Gardens home, around 9 PM on a Sunday night. He/she was quite alone (opossums are typically solitary), and looked rather scared (though the animal did not move an inch as several people on the sidewalk stopped and stared). Why the thing would want to hover under a bright door light where everyone could see it, I don't know.
A more interesting question is how it ever got in such a densely populated section of Brooklyn. It is apparently not an unusual occurance. There have been recent stories of opossums in Park Slope and Dyker Heights.
I think they're more common in the city than we realize. They're all over our neighborhood here in northeastern Queens. My husband often sees them in the morning when he's walking to the railroad, and I've seen plenty dead in the street, victims of cars. My husband even saw one in lower Manhattan once.
ReplyDeleteHopefully its not ill. The type of behavior that you're describing sounds as though it may be.
ReplyDeleteSaw one in Park Slope on Union, crazy. Nature's making a come back!
ReplyDeleteSaw one in my backyard on a few occasions here Windsor Terrace.
ReplyDeleteSaw one in my yard as well (Ditmas Park). It looked put out to see me then ran off. Perhaps everyone's seeing the same one.
ReplyDeleteI grew up outside of Boston and we had a family of opossum in our front hedge. I was shocked the other night (Saturday 3/20/10) when in Greenpoint I saw an opossum. I was walking the dog and he went into hunter mode and began to point. I thought it was going to be the neighbor's cat but it was a big opossum having dinner in the garbage area of my building. If a friend of mine can have a raccoon infestation in Williamsburg we can have opossum in Greenpoint.
ReplyDeletei live in bensonhurst and seen then so often now and it is a threat to my plants. all my time i put with my plants and they ate then all. my neighbor kill a baby opossum few days ago and i saw a big one last night. i think there is a lot and it is not good, i sugguest we should call animal control.
ReplyDeleteA possum crept into my backyard in Astoria a couple of weeks ago. After doing some research I realized these animals are far more common in NYC than I would have ever thought. I left a post on another blog asking about NYers' run-ins with these critters and f people thought if they were harmful or not. Feel free to leave your opinon: http://thomaslin.journalism.cuny.edu/.
ReplyDeleteWe had one on our fence near our stoop last night. Posted pictures here
ReplyDeletehttp://semperfido.livejournal.com/173754.html
Scared the crap out of me. I had no idea they were in Brooklyn.
I saw a possum in Williamsburg last night. Berry stret near N 3rd. Perched on top of a backyard fence.
ReplyDeleteI saw a possum on Bedford ave last night in Williamsburg. At first I thought it was a big rat. >.<
ReplyDeleteI just found one in my garage in boro park he just looked at me and could care less
ReplyDeleteI took a picture and just left him