Assorted Possums
by Ruthann, Wade, Sandi, Ewa, Irene, Loretta, Lisa, Pamela, Mark
(Etobicoke, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, Chatham, Maple, Burlington, Brampton, Oshawa, Scarborough, Barrie)
Ruthann Rivers said ... walking across our street this morning a possum. Bearbury Drive in Etobicoke. Just walked across the street in front of us. Amazing.
Wade McGhee wrote to say ... 7:00 am there was a possum in our backyard hanging around our cord wood shed! Kids loved seeing him. This was on Chester Ave, Newmarket.
Sandi from Niagara Falls wrote ... I just spotted one in my front yard and it is around 7:20 a.m. By the time I got downstairs with my phone it was too late as the possum was waddling into my neighbours back yard. We haven't seen one in years and when we did it was always at night, but this time it was in the morning.
Alison from Chatham reported ... I let my dogs out before bed tonight. They were barking up a storm at something in the back yard. I went to investigate and it was a possum. Gray and about the size of a cat. It did not move or show aggression and it looked up at me. Managed to get the dogs in the house before they got into an altercation.
Ewa Jedrys from Maple, Ontario wrote to tell us ... I saw a possum walking on my back fence. It was about 8.00 p.m. I did not have chance to take a picture of it. I hope it is not a harmful creature but it is unusual to see this creature on my backyard fence.
A reader from Burlington wrote ... I had to drain my pool due to a leak. I heard a noise in the middle of the night and found two possums in the pool trying to get out. I had to get in with a net and gently lift them out. I didn’t realize how quick they are until I got them in the grass and they spirited away. So much for a good night sleep!
Irene from Burlington said ... I put cut up left-over pizza out for the birds, and along came a possum around 7:00 am and ate all of it.
Loretta from Brampton said ... during the cold winter months, I was leaving a cut-up apple on the front porch for rabbits/raccoons but one evening I looked out the window & I saw an opossum. I'd never seen an opossum before. I still leave an apple every night & it's gone in the morning.
Pamela from Scarborough wrote ... we've had two recently in our backyard in the Westhill area of Scarborough, Ontario. My dog unfortunately killed one, but the other successfully played "possum' and escaped. These are the first sightings of possum I've ever had.
Mark from Barrie wrote ... around 2:00 am on March 31, I looked out my window to check the weather. It had been snowing for a while and I saw an animal cross my driveway and front lawn. I first thought it was some small, terrier-type dog, but it held its tail straight out in line with the spine and the gait was different than that of a dog. I then realized I was looking at a possum, I had seen a dead one near Simcoe County Rd 90 a few years ago, so I knew they were around. The one I saw may have been here for more than a year as a neighbour told me he'd seen one last year. This possum was a fully grown adult. I could see by the tracks in the snow that it had been wandering about a bit. All traces had disappeared by morning as the snowfall had continued through the night.
Thank you all for sending these reports of your Possum sightings.
Ewa, Possums are fairly harmless and much prefer to avoid trouble than get into a fight, also when they are scared they pretend to be dead until they can escape and run away.
Loretta, bless you for leaving some apple for your Possum, I'm sure it helped him survive through the winter.
