Look what's lurking around my yard...

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

If they are native they have a right to be there. Every animal has a right to life no matter how insignificant the animal is. The attitude if just killing what is bad and dangerous has got us where we are today with some of the worlds largest predators on the brink of extinction.

Now i am not saying possums are going to go extinct but you should at least give it a chance to live. I am not sure about the area where you live but moving an animal back into there natural habitat or environment is not moving the problem on to someone else unless there is a hill tribe living in the forest with chickens.

What do you think used to be in downtown LA or California before there was human habitation there? these area were occupied by nature and wildlife i was not talking about a 6 year old possum but the species that lived there before we destroyed it all. I don't understand how people can love one animal so much yet despise another for doing what is instinctive? Kill any animal and that blood is on your hands. You won't forget it.

Please read what I wrote. In most states it is absolutely ILLEGAL to relocate trapped animals due to the risk of spreading diseases and parasites into new areas.

Now, I don't appreciate your assumption that rural residents are a "hill tribe." You ARE moving the problem to someone else since habituated animals seek out human habitations. You are also spreading diseases.

BTW, I sure hope you are a vegan with your attitude, because if you even drink milk or eat eggs, you are a pious hypocrite. Just what do you think happens to male dairy cattle and cockerels?

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Okay, well I looked up the Tasmanian Tiger because I didn't know much about that either. It went extinct because the Australian government put out bounties encouraging people to kill them (because they were a threat to sheep).

I think you might be missing the point here. I'm not on an extermination mission to kill all the predators in my yard OR all the possums in the area. I'm not hunting them. I'm simply trying to figure out how to deal with the nuisance possum in my yard. The possums are fully free to go live in the 20+ acres of wooded area across the street, or the 5 acres of field next door. I ALSO did not start a thread about eliminating ALL predators (raccoons, snakes, coyotes, etc.). I've got all those too, know they are around, but generally they leave me alone so I leave them alone.

Possums are also not an endangered animal. They are quite well adapted to living in urban AND rural areas.

And, after actually reading Texas laws regarding wildlife, I can assure you that the laws are actually very much in favor of the animals. People may not FOLLOW the laws, but they are written to protect wildlife, not people.

Australton has no clue about US condiions nor rural living. Just another person obtaining their wildlife knowledge from natures shows. B^)

 

[Australton]

Australton has no clue about US condiions nor rural living. Just another person obtaining their wildlife knowledge from natures shows. B^)

By Hill tribe i meant a tribe in the middle of the forest as in where no one lives not rural. I live rural.

The only US nature shows we get over here are hillbilly hand fishing and swamp people so yes i have no clue about US conditions but i know everything about rural living since i have spent my live living it. I clearly see now that the attitudes of americans in killing what ever is not welcome ugly or a pest.

I am just out to question and ask people to rethink what they have been taught. Killing is the easy option but i think we are more intelligent now to look for alternatives where posable.

 

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[Spongegirl]

Well I haven't been taught to kill. But when its a question of them or my birds, they are the dead meat, not my birds. It's a matter of them or the chicks. My chicks have value, the predator does not. An animal comes to my property, it is looking for chicken dinner and eggs for breakfast. I will kill them. If I let them live, they will have more babies that will kill future generations of birds. It's that simple. Now if a bald eagle were to swoop in, ok, take a chick...your chicks are better than my chicks, Mr Eagle. If a person were to come to kill my kids or take my stuff, they would be dead too, assuming that I own and know how to use a gun. It's a matter of defending what is mine. I don't care if the animal wants to live, too bad. Our eating animals want to live but we raise them to kill them to eat. So waaaa, if the ratty opossum or the sneaky coon dies. Just because they want to live doesn't mean I need to have compassion for them when they are after my livelihood. We are more important than they are. This has nothing to do with being American. This has to do with loving my chickens. I don't really care what the law says. Let a judge scold me for killing one of those nasty varmits when I show him the value of what Im protecting.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

By Hill tribe i meant a tribe in the middle of the forest as in where no one lives not rural. I live rural.

The only US nature shows we get over here are hillbilly hand fishing and swamp people so yes i have no clue about US conditions but i know everything about rural living since i have spent my live living it. I clearly see now that the attitudes of americans in killing what ever is not welcome ugly or a pest.

I am just out to question and ask people to rethink what they have been taught. Killing is the easy option but i think we are more intelligent now to look for alternatives where posable.

You're right, you have no clue about US conditions. You don't even have to worry about rabies over there. I've had the rabies series *twice* due to accidental wild animal contact in the US suburbs. A former supervisor had a coyote literally pull a pet cat out of his six year old daughter's arms. You had better believe that coyote was live trapped and euthanized before it could actually bite a child - contrary to nature shows coyotes can and will attack humans, and the rabies series is deucedly unpleasant and mandatory if the animal isn't captured and killed for analysis.

Most of us aren't hillbillies and don't live in the swamps. I spend most of my time in the desert.

It is illegal in many areas to move wildlife out into what you refer to as the "hill country" because many animal species are particularly sensitive to various domestic animal diseases, such as parvo. They are also susceptible to parasite problems. Moving wild animals that have been in contact with these into remote areas can cause epidemics that are devastating to wildlife.

It is also worth noting that fewer than 50% of transported animals survive.

However, transporting works well for those who confuse squeamishness with virtue - the animal dies out of their sight, and any epidemic is also out of their view.

You make some big fat assumptions that we kill animals without thought. Generally we try very hard to work on discouraging their presence; but sometimes nothing we do works. For example, I have done everything possible to make my yard unattractive to wild animals - but they pass through because a thoughtless person down the street feeds them because he thinks they are cute. This is not only illegal - but highly annoying to everyone else in the neighborhood since parents are not pleased to see wild animals walking up to their children and demanding a snack. Some animals, such as raccoons, can be downright vicious if not fed when they are habituated.

 

[chickchic9]

This whole thread makes me very sad . Some animals have "value" and others do not? Seems we're all here for the same reasons, to live our lives - however diverse they may be.

One of the reasons I held off having chickens for a few years, was because I knew that just about every critter out there like to eat them ! I have woods all around, and a very sturdy coop for sleep. There have been some visitors, but so far, so good, even though the girls roam free each day.

Having been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, an especially tough winter ( when I lived up north ), dictated that a baby opossum I had saved, bonded to me over winter, and I ended up using her for education. She was uniquely affectionate, and never tried to hurt me. With all the animals I've had in my life, she remains one of the most special. North America's only marsupial - NOT a rodent , by the way.

Most of their hissing, growling, and baring of teeth, is done because they're terrified and trying to scare you, or your dog, or whatever, away. If they're cornered, sure they'll try and defend themselves - wouldn't you ? If all else fails, they can play "dead", going so far as to drool, turn their gums blue-ish, and give off fowl breath, to avoid becoming someone's meal. Of all the wild critters, they're the least likely to carry rabies, or any other disease, and are meticulously clean. They die in great numbers due to cars, and large predators , yet they manage to exist in most places - even cities.

Please people, I ask that you reconsider, when thinking about wiping out all the animals that might be after chickens. Look for a local rehabilitator ( ask at a Vet's office too), who can help you relocate someone to a safe spot. We get our pets, and then become enemies of all those animals who share our territory. And essentially, we're putting out "bait", and expecting that no one will notice. It needn't be a war - but it'll take a little caring effort on your part to avoid one.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

I am just out to question and ask people to rethink what they have been taught. Killing is the easy option but i think we are more intelligent now to look for alternatives where posable.

Some of us are more intelligent and have figured out how to actually trap and kill some pretty wily predators. This isn't Australia, and we aren't discussing marsupials other than the opossum, and our coyotes are probably light years more intelligent than dingoes. We have raccoons, bears, cougars, bobcats, lynx, skunks, etc. We generally don't kill them. We favor electric scare wires, guard dogs and donkeys, and secure animal housing. Sometimes it just doesn't work and we encounter a predator who just doesn't get it and doesn't pack off.

Meawhile, you're being sanctimonious and ignorant at the same time, which doesn't indicate that you are particularly bright.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

This whole thread makes me very sad . Some animals have "value" and others do not? Seems we're all here for the same reasons, to live our lives - however diverse they may be.

One of the reasons I held off having chickens for a few years, was because I knew that just about every critter out there like to eat them ! I have woods all around, and a very sturdy coop for sleep. There have been some visitors, but so far, so good, even though the girls roam free each day.

Having been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, an especially tough winter ( when I lived up north ), dictated that a baby opossum I had saved, bonded to me over winter, and I ended up using her for education. She was uniquely affectionate, and never tried to hurt me. With all the animals I've had in my life, she remains one of the most special. North America's only marsupial - NOT a rodent , by the way.

Most of their hissing, growling, and baring of teeth, is done because they're terrified and trying to scare you, or your dog, or whatever, away. If they're cornered, sure they'll try and defend themselves - wouldn't you ? If all else fails, they can play "dead", going so far as to drool, turn their gums blue-ish, and give off fowl breath, to avoid becoming someone's meal. Of all the wild critters, they're the least likely to carry rabies, or any other disease, and are meticulously clean. They die in great numbers due to cars, and large predators , yet they manage to exist in most places - even cities.

Please people, I ask that you reconsider, when thinking about wiping out all the animals that might be after chickens. Look for a local rehabilitator ( ask at a Vet's office too), who can help you relocate someone to a safe spot. We get our pets, and then become enemies of all those animals who share our territory. And essentially, we're putting out "bait", and expecting that no one will notice. It needn't be a war - but it'll take a little caring effort on your part to avoid one.

No one here is "wiping out" all of the animals. However, we do resent histrionic and wild accusations directed at us by people who allegedly are "wildlife rehabilitators" and think that relocating is a good idea. It is illegal in many states since fewer than half of the animals survive, and it has caused epidemics when animals exposed to domestic animals diseases carried them out to wild populations that lacked resistance.

And please don't imply that those of us who have dispatched predators don't put "a little caring effort" into predator handling. I have live trapped and frightened animals to get them to stay out of the yard - including skunks. Unfortunately, some don't learn, and then my choices are limited.
Opossums are very good at coming into yards and tearing up dogs.