Toronto area Possums

by Claire, Enrique, Joseph, Kim
(The Beaches, North York, Toronto, Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville)

Several readers have written to tell us about their Possum sightings, I have combined them for ease of reading!

Claire says ..... I saw this animal twice in the winter in our driveway but it was very early in the morning and dark and I was not quite sure what I had seen - I told a friend I had seen an animal that looked like a piglet. Then this morning I was sitting on the back steps and it came marching across the lawn. I was able to see it quite clearly. Cream in colour, indeed shaped like a piglet, with short sort of fur and a long tail like a rat. I e-mailed a friend who is a volunteer in the Rouge and he told me what he thought it was and said he had seen one at Ashbridges Bay recently. Having googled it, I am now sure that is what it was.


Kim says ..... We live in the Beach area of Toronto, a neighbourhood that is very close to the downtown core. We had a Possum in our driveway this morning and couldn't quite figure out what it was. It looked like a huge rat with a white face, long tail and appeared quite timid. My husband and I thought it looked like a Possum, but did not believe that we would ever see Possums in our neighbourhood. I guess we were wrong.

Joseph in North York wrote to tell us ..... We have a live trap set out to keep primarily the Raccoons out of the garden. We'll usually successfully trap one raccoon a night, but the other day we walked out to find a different animal. At first we assumed it was a tiny, baby Raccoon, but on second glance it was clear it was a Possum. The kids were amazed, they'd never seen one in the wild up here before. We drove over to the ravine nearby and safely released it. Should have taken a picture to share. I will if it happens again.

Another reader tells us that there was a dead Possum in the road just across the border from Wolfe Island, Ontario, in Cape Vincent NY. I couldn't believe it, I didn't think we had Possums in Canada or that close to the border until I read this.

A reader from Burlington wrote to tell us about a Possum having a snooze ..... Last evening about 6:00 o'clock, my husband went out to start the B.B.Q. He called me to come out. I thought it strange when he insisted that I come out. After taking off the cover he found a medium sized Possum nestled in a pile of leaves. After calling in neighbors to have a look, the Possum was coaxed into a bag, and we let it go in a woods across the road from our house. I hope it finds its home, wherever it is. September 2 /13


S.K. from Mississauga Ontario said ..... Have just found 2 small ones that seem to have made a home in our back yard in mid Mississauga. Will take them down near the Credit River for release as they have been making a bit of a mess and our dog will not stop trying to get them while tearing up the back yard.

Enrique of Oakville says .....They arrived in Oakville - I have a Possum leaving around my backyard in my house near, Dundas and Third line.

A reader from Burlington says ..... No story, but I think I saw an Opossum outside near the former-compost bin last night; looked larger than an Asian rat and losing its hair. Definitely scarier looking than the ones pictured on the internet, but body was same shape and it had a rat-like snout.

Thank you all so much for writing in to tell us about your Possum sightings!