A possum-aic decision

[LakotaWolf]

We live right across the street from a park, and I do mean right across the street. Consequently, a lot of possums and other small critters travel through our backyard, which drives my German Shepherd nuts.

In particular, possums seem to like to walk across our back fence, which makes Ember (the dog) run along underneath, freaking out and often leaping into our pool in an effort to stay right underneath the furry intruder.

In the past, my mother and father would kill any invading possums by using a shovel, or putting them in a trash can and filling it up with water, leaving the thing to scrabble til exhaustion and then drown. Before you condemn my parents for being cruel possum-murderers, do keep in mind that we have had our yards destroyed by possums, our trash cans tipped and ripped apart repeatedly, and a very long time ago a possum killed a puppy of mine. Now, I'm not all for starting a holy jihad on all possum-dom just because one killed my puppy, but possums sure as hell aren't filling a needed niche in the ecosystem of Southern California. They might as well be considered vermin, for all that they don't reproduce as prolifically as rats or mice.

Normally, I like animals. I like most animals. But something about the insidious hissing of a brazen possum walking along my fence and threatening Ember just gets my garters in a twist. I've felt myself actually hating the naked-tailed little creeps. Hell, recently I've helped my mother kill them - I've never actually DONE anything that causes their death, I'll walk away when that part comes around, but I'll get the pool-cleaning net and scoop them up or whatnot.

Until tonight.

A possum was walking along our fence as usual, and Ember was going nuts... she was already soaking wet from having gone into the pool in an effort to get to the one-marsupial army on the fence. I came outside and got the pool net to try and knock the possum off the fence, or perhaps scoop it up. When I got near it, it ran to the other end of the fence. On that end of the fence we have a large waterfall that runs into our pool when it's turned on. Ember promptly climbed up said waterfall and snatched the possum off the fence in victory and began to tear at it.

I ran over and stopped her, but the possum was already bleeding and had already passed on any diseases in its blood. (Ember has all her shots, but it's not like she can't still get sick.) I slammed the net on top of the possum and wondered what to do next. The possum, meanwhile, was playing dead. (I could still see it breathing.)

Unfortunately my mother had been alerted by all the racket, and she came outside. She went immediately to get the trash can so we could put the possum in and drown it. While she did this, the possum got out of its "playing dead" mode and looked at me. I mean seriously looked at me in the eye. I'm not professing that the possum possessed any sort of intelligence, nor do I think it was pleading for its life. It was probably just confused and really scared. But its gaze got to me... I didn't want to kill it. I not only wanted no part in the act of killing it, I wanted to let it go and save its life.

When my mother got back with the trash can, she would hear nothing of it. She wanted the "rodent" (as she calls them) dead. There was nothing I could do but flip the net into the water-filled trash can and listen to the horrible sound of claws scrabbling on the plastic from the inside. My mother locked the lid on, and that was that. I got the idea in my head that as soon as my mother went back to bed, I would sneak outside, open the trash can, haul out the possum, and set it free.

Unfortunately - my mother decided that 3 AM was JUST the right time to start watering the backyard. I'm not kidding. She actually started watering her plants. Aarg.

Right now it's a little after 3 AM and I'm waiting for her to go to bed. The possum went into the trash can around 2:45, so it might already be too late. I'm not sure. But I'm going to try and save it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if I'm already too late.

Why didn't I save it sooner? Or maybe I should stop worrying about it since it's just an animal and possums aren't exactly endangered.

I just don't know.

EDIT: 3:50 AM - it's still alive. I'm going to let it go. I don't know how to do it to make it look like an accident, but I am not going to sleep knowing something is dying in my backyard.

[Dray]

>.< *hugs*

[seraaches]

*jawfloor* oo;;;;;;

*snugs* well, i'm glad you saved it, rodent or not. . . . oo;;;;

[Silver Midnight]

Sera! >P Possums aren't rodents. They're marsupials!

[DNS]

Kudos to you for being empathetic to an animal. ;-; I commend you for atleast attempting to let it free~

[Asha Wermyst]

Ah, yes. The mind-controlling possums. *been there*