Originally posted by jlabsher
Keep the d*mn possum away from your house crazy one.
1. It could TEAR UP any dog dumb enough to mess with it. 'You're talking hundreds in vet bills.
2. RABIES, don't worry about the dogs, worry about you?
3. Why are you feeding rats?
4. It is a wild animal, do the rangers in Jellystone park let you feed Yogi? No. Why, because it will become a fat, dumb and happy Amurrikin human just like most of us and not know how to get its own food should you leave, go on vacation or get hit by a truck. Then it will die a slow, agonizing death, because of you.
5. It is obviously hurt, you could take it to the wild animal shelter and bring it back to life, or you could kill it and skin it, sell the meat at the farmer's market, or on great mills road.
6. Survival of the fittest? I know you democratic socialists believe that every sperm is sacred (oops wrong party) I mean that every human is equal, but let me tell you, as a civil service employee I know that isn't true. If it is a wild animal that is of no pelt, meat or trophy value be strong, turn your eye and let it die. Say goodbye to old yeller.
Wean it off the food, now is a good time of year for that. Let it be a wild animal, it can never be tamed (insert personal macho reference here).
Wow Jlab you really are a man of few words now aren’t ya’.
BTW I’m not crazy – I just care about animals – to a fault I suppose. In response to your post…
1) I don’t let my dog near the possum so no problem there. (But just to get a plug in – I’m looking for a King Charles Cavelier puppy or a Newfoundland puppy, if any of all know of any breeders for this breed.)
2) For some reason, I’m personally not worried about getting rabies and really havn’t give that much thought. These animals don’t appear to be rabid though.
3) I don’t think I’m feeding rats – are they in the same family? Eitherway I haven’t seen any rats around. I didn’t set out to feed all the critters of Charles County honest – I’m not made of money personally and 20lbs of cat food every few days does add up. All I had set out to do and intended on doing was to feed a few stray cats outside. And there is nowhere that I can set their food out where the other critters can’t get to it.
Then I started limiting the amount of food I’d set out but the critters would gobble it all up before the stray cats could get a chance. Its not the stray cat’s fault that it is a stray and has no where else to go for food so I try to help out when I can.
It’s not like I could put a sign on the food and water bowls that says “stray cats only” and the other critters would take notice or something. Also when they started having their buffet outside I realized it wasn’t a total bad thing because this way they stay away from my hen house and have stopped slaughtering my poor (pet) hens. Possums are lethal to poultry just the same as raccoons – nothing like walking out in the morning to get eggs and there's a blood bath of carcusses of hens you raised from peeps.
4) I’m not sure about the feeding of animals in any park theory. I think an animal has survival instincts regardless of whether it is hand fed or forage fed. I think that when it gets hungry it’s not going to lay around and starve to death waiting for a human to give it food. I think it will have enough God given instincts to find food instead of just sitting around hoping for someone like me to come along.
JMO though.
5) If it is hurt and has a disease. I worry about selling it to anyone to eat for the meat – although this is a fat one. Do any of y’all really eat possum meat? I would feel bad for befriending this possum anyway to think of taking it somewhere to get slaughtered. I’m sure this post isn’t sounding convincing that I’m not crazy but that’s kind of where I stand. I’m not focusing on this possum thing 24/7 or anything like that folks. I was just wondering is all. BTW I didn’t see it last night, it may have died already
I certainly do appreciate your feedback as I always do Jlab – you da' bomb!!!
I just wanted to clarify a few things from my standpoint. You know that all stray animals are really former life democrats that expect a free handout in life anyways