tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post2177983769704415368..comments2024-03-26T04:26:04.911-07:00Comments on Lost City: Lost City Opossum Sighting Sets Off Opossum FrenzyBrooks of Sheffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-33290181769769120782011-03-17T06:45:18.320-07:002011-03-17T06:45:18.320-07:00March 17. Noticed a dead opossum in my neighbors y...March 17. Noticed a dead opossum in my neighbors yard this morning. Very strange since I did'nt think they existed in Queens. Guess I was wrong. The location is 31st Ave and 76th St. My neighbor had said he saw a large rate the other day but he probabely just saw this animal. Any called the proper authorities to have it removed.Big Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-56412330498697057592010-03-12T05:36:54.024-08:002010-03-12T05:36:54.024-08:00Brooks, please get the truth out about 'possum...Brooks, please get the truth out about 'possums. According to my vet, they are not prone to rabies. From wiki (where it has a footnote reference) "Opossums are about eight times less likely to carry rabies than wild dogs, and about one in eight hundred opossums are infected with this virus." <br /><br />We raised an orphan possum a couple of years ago. When it was rescued it was only a few inches long and when we released her she was fully grown. Queens Crapper has it right....possums eat all sorts of things, including insects, fruit, carrion, and sometimes small animals like frogs or small birds, but the one we had loved yogurt, fruit, and cat food the best. If they are digging in your garden they are probably seeking out grubs and such -- the same pests that people fight with nasty poisons that are much more of a hazard than any possum. <br /><br />Their teeth look sharp, but I've felt them and they are so small and close together that they don't feel sharp and dangerous. As I recall, I let the possum close its jaws on my finger and it didn't even hurt let alone break the skin. An opossum may hiss at you but that's because it's scared. Ours never even tried to bite or act aggressive in any way and we raised it around several small dogs and cats. That possum loved to ride around sitting on your shoulder!<br /><br />Almost everything in that Courier article reflects ignorance and stupidity. Possums are not a threat to people or dogs or cats. People are the main threat to possums!! They are actually very gentle creatures who want to be left alone to go about their business. Instead, ignorant buffoons deliberately run over them in the street or poison them thinking they are rats. I can understand people being surprised to see an unfamiliar animal in their neighborhood, but come on people stop the hysterics. In case you have forgotten, you are supposed to be tough, cynical New Yorkies who are not fazed by anything. Stepping over homeless beggars in Midtown a block from the glittery emporiums of Madison Ave doesn't seem to affect anyone, but a tiny funny-looking animal sets off a panic? C'mon! <br /><br />And I love the question: "how did possums get to NYC?" Duh! Possums were probably there before the Indians! Possums are native to the east coast. Possums won't hurt you, will probably improve your garden, will probably reduce the rat population by eating garbage rats would feed on, so leave'm alone!Upstate Johnny Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-3458174135755358002010-03-10T10:54:43.410-08:002010-03-10T10:54:43.410-08:00A rabid raccoon was captured at State and Nevins t...A rabid raccoon was captured at State and Nevins two weeks ago. That's some serious animal control.Robert Cashillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16076036979390614870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-77014540901881566912010-03-10T09:49:07.568-08:002010-03-10T09:49:07.568-08:00“These possums weren’t supposed to be able to dupl...<i>“These possums weren’t supposed to be able to duplicate, to have babies. It turns out that they had babies. Now, they’re pretty much everywhere and they’re a problem.”</i><br /><br />Considering that opossums are marsupials, and therefore biologically designed for an extremely high reproductive rate, the quoted comment is, indeed, moronic.<br /><br />PeterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-81157402795861784102010-03-10T09:32:14.380-08:002010-03-10T09:32:14.380-08:00I've been seeing them in Flushing (along with ...I've been seeing them in Flushing (along with raccoons) - lots of dead ones in fact. It's heartbreaking to see non-pet animals stuck in a relatively urban environment - especially one filled with so many animal-haters, such as lovely Flushing. People should enjoy and admire nature instead of figuring out new ways to annihilate it. That's my rant for the day.FlooshingRezidentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-37177441304289641832010-03-10T07:17:31.628-08:002010-03-10T07:17:31.628-08:00I get a kick out of the folks who think they'r...I get a kick out of the folks who think they're some sort of mighty predator, attacking small animals and used as a control for rats. Something like 70% of their diet is carrion, and they'll make that 100% if they get a chance. Garbage, roadkill and the occasional fruit tree will suit a possum just fine. So will eating pet food, if you leave a dish in the back yard. I'm not sure why it's such a shock to people that a possum might live in a park, golf course, cemetery, etc., and that it was always there. These things are survivors. If they could survive the asteroid that knocked off the dinosaurs, making it in the outer boroughs doesn't seem like much of a problem. So tell Dominic Recchia he needs to learn his natural history.Queens Crapperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02527465812176461894noreply@blogger.com