Can you see him smiling?? He's not really--it's the opossum way of scaring me. They open their mouths to show you their teeth which is supposed to scare you off. But it didn't--I just oohed and ahhed over him......and then made sure he and his mom were safely reunited and released.This whole trapping thing is really bothering me. While I can't have threatening animals in the yard, I am still struggling with having to resort to these measures. The raccoons, although cute, were really causing damage to our property and not backing away if we went out after dark. It got frightening and unsafe to have to go to the garbage cans--I was getting afraid for our safety and the safety of the cats.
That said, I find it unbearable to see those animals in the cages come morning. They are unharmed, but it is the thought of trapping them that I struggle with. I can admit that I have shed more than a few tears over the decision to remove them. I even had Joe move one raccoon into the shed when it was pouring rain--and bless his heart, he did--without complaining. Joe, I mean, not the raccoon. I'm sure the raccoon was a tad miffed at this whole plan--rain or no rain.
We are nearing the end of this madness as we have already had one night of no animals trapped. When we reach 3 nights with no traps triggering, they pull the traps and consider the job done. I have to say I am waiting for that moment.
As for the raccoons and where they end up--why, Happy Raccoon Village, of course.
28 comments:
The opossum has cute fingers. But I am a little bit skerred of his pointy teeths!
I have always liked opossums if I ignore their tails. I feel so sorry for the little things because they are by far the road kill of choice in this area.
It's so sad that the critters have to resort to coming into town and creating havoc in people's yards. Thank goodness the sweet little raccoons you captured are going to Happy Raccoon Village. Will the opossum be sent to Happy Opossum Village? ;)
xo Catherine
I don't what's worse...starting the day with a opossum's devilsih face greeting me, or an accidental naked lady on a beach bidding you a good night. ;-) Happy trappings!
I'm so relieved to hear there is a Happy Raccoon Village.
You shouldn't feel bad about humanely trapping these animals. Look at my neighbor. He just shoots the offending creatures with his BB gun.
Things could be worse.
Since Smalltown has no humane trapping, I have resigned myself to the fact that unless I want to do it myself...which I don't....when I go outside after dark, I just shine a flashligh wherever I am walking. The light will pick up any critters eyes, and then I just walk waaaaay around Pa, Ma, and babies. It's funny...they just look at me like, "oh yeah, flashlight lady" and go right on doing what they were doing!!! LOL
--and hold on to that thought. They will be living the lush life in Racoon Paradise. Tra la.
I don't mind catching a raccoon or an opossum in my live trap. What I hate is catching a skunk. I've done that--twice. Trust me. I didn't mean to do it . . .
Oh my. Well, they are scary! Anyone who has come face to face with a creature like this at the very least hesitates in step. They are bigger than you would think, scalier/ furrier than you would think, and certainly are looking at you. I'm sure it would be hard to have to trap them, but, like you said, it's for the best of all involved. Hopefully it will be over soon.
Maybe if you think of all the possums and raccoons that end up as roadkill for living in populated areas, it might make you feel better about trapping the critters.
Great picture of the possum!
Raccoons are cute, possums - not so much! Both make a good stew, so I am told...
Yet more proof that opossums come in shapes other than flat. I'm actually very fond of them. But they stink.
Glad the trapping is winding down for you. Opossums frequently come into my yard at night, but they rarely get out. They are my dog's favorite prey. I usually have to bury remains in the morning.
I like your way better :)
Raccoons are VERY intelligent and can carry rabies so you have to be careful with them.
I am sure they are happy in their erm, village.
aw, happy raccoon village. Sounds like a cute place and a better one for them than your back yard.
Daisy--He is VERY cute, Daisy! He has cute hands, cute ears, and a very cute pink nose. He was grooming himself in there while he waited to be released. I felt really bad, but I can't touch the traps according to the contract. :( He got out okay though.
Highway--That's what my mom says! She doesn't like the tails either. I feel sorry for them too, so they can stay here. They are not aggressive or a menace, so I had them released in the yard.
Catherine--We just got new garbage cans in our town, so the raccoons suddenly can't get food easily anymore. I think that is why these 3 were so aggressive. They were welcome to stay IF they behaved themselves, but alas, that couldn't be. So, they had to leave, sadly. The opossum were not a problem and they were released right in our yard. They snuck under the fence to wherever their home is.
Jodi--Well, let's see....they were both smiling at me...... hmmmmmmm. Joe seemed to enjoy the lady, but I like the opossum more. At least his boobies weren't smiling at me. ;)
JD--I couldn't shoot these creatures, but they couldn't stay either. It isn't easy to do this, but they had to go. That said, I couldn't look at their faces in the cages. :(
A.Marie--We don't have a lot of space here, so I couldn't really avoid them in any way. I hired a professional wildlife remover because we can't trap here in suburbia. There are laws against it, but this company has a license to do it. We've had raccoons before, but these guys were destructive and dangerous.
Vanilla--Yeah, with little tropical drinks with parasols in them!
Chuck--Ewwwww! This company said they have to put down skunks on the spot if they trap them because they are so difficult to deal with. I guess that would be a really stinky job day after day!
Nancy--I think we got the 3 who were the problem because the traps were empty again last night. I don't like this one bit and hope it is over soon. :(
Rebecca--All I keep thinking is that I'm doing everyone a favor here. There are lots of little dogs and cats here that could get hurt. These were some bad raccoons.
Grace--I like them both, but these particular raccoons were destructive and dangerous. They were ripping my pond apart and not showing any sign of fear of humans. It was getting to be a real problem. The opossum are very timid and not threatening in any way, so they were released in the yard.
Sharky--The little guy didn't have the stink yet. :) You and I share the love of the opossum. I was adamant about releasing them because they don't cause trouble here.
DJ--Ewwww. Poor things!!
Pricilla--;) You get it. On all levels. Thanks.
Ann--Well, not really. But it's better than one of the kitties going to Happy Raccoon Village or us to the hospital.
It's too bad the raccoons caused all those problems so is best they go to the Happy Raccoon Village. We have opossums that live under our deck occasionally and have seen them out just once with the babies hanging on to momma's side. Anyway, hope you make it 3 nights with no traps!
As Granny would say," Gonna whip up a possum pie!" Just kidding,I know you wouldn't eat him!
Hard pears are the best for canning! You can surely cook them up for pear sauce !
I like possums. Curiously, skunk smell has never bothered me, I sorta like it.
The new little blog is http://4two6.blogspot.com/
Earlier, I saw a possum with teeth that creeped me out on another blog. I always thought they were cute animals. Funny, I saw a racoon in a pet shop yesterday. Does anyone actually keep racoon as pets or is the pet shop owner trying to con us stupid Malaysians?
Is opossum dangerous? We don't have it here so got no idea about it.
As far as I know, all type of rodent can spread disease very easily.
Have you ever watched Billy the Exterminator? He works for the family pest business called Vexcon. Is Billy coming to pick up the racoons? On his show he takes them to a nice 1,000 acre farm out in the country. I kinda feel a bit jealous cuz the racoons are living in a nicer place than I do.
Be sure to drop by our blog today. We're having a MO Cats day contest. You and the stripey guy might win a prize.
You have to protect your family and cats so shouldn't feel bad at all trapping these intruders. That's what they get for trespassing in your yard. You did not make them come or even invite them over so don't feel bad. You just are doing what you need to do.
I'm quite touched by your sweet nature and concern for the animals, though I'm not surprised. Your true colors are very evident in your love of your pond friends.
Beaded Tail--I feel bad about the raccoons, but I don't know what else to do. We lost our fish and a rabbit already and we can't have them hurting anyone else. Next is the cats or us and that can't be. I feel bad, but it is something we had to do. :(
Melodie--GASP! Not the opossum! I like them because they behave themselves. Thanks for the tip with the pears. I'm gonna make something with them.
Lauren--Oh, I don't know about the skunk smell! One of the cages reeks of skunk butt and it is stinking up the WHOLE yard! EEEk! Thanks for the link--I'm going there...
Veronica--You back already???! That was quick! I hope you had fun. That would be very dangerous to have a raccoon. They bite and can't really be tamed. Stay very far away from that thing!
V7--Any animal cornered or sick can be dangerous. My experience with opossum is that they just want to avoid humans as much as possible. They are typically very timid animals. Any animal can carry disease, I guess.
Ozark Mtn Cats--I LOVE Billy! He is hilariously crazy! I love how sweet he is to the animals too. I asked my guy if he knows about Billy and he just shook his head. He said he is dangerous because of how he handles most of the situations, and he said everyone wants him to be just like Billy. They are humane to the animals as far as I can see, but Billy is one of a kind!
Karen--I think these 3 raccoons came from somewhere else where they could not find food. This was not a litter that was raised around here because there were so few of them. I say they were like a gang prowling the 'hood. I'm glad they are gone. I can rest again.
Violet--I'm an old softie--but to a point. I don't humanize animals to a dangerous level. But when they cross the line, I have to be realistic. That said, I still feel bad that they have been removed.
So the raccoons are relocated or learn not to come back? (I know, I'm a little ignorant when it comes to these things and way behind on reading here at the Duck & Wheel!
BTW: You can enter to have a chance to win a computer if you do the meme! LOL! When the lady left a comment telling me about it I raced over here to bother you with the information. Giggling the entire time. Would you like the URL? (ROFL!) http://www.mamanista.com/2010/09/want-to-win-a-new-computer-and-help-classrooms-across-the-nation.html
I don't get it, so if they get released every morning its up to them to know to stay away then? You got anything for moles? Those little suckers are tearing up my yard as well as the dogs digging up the yard trying to get the moles.
Petula--The raccoons are taken away to "Happy Raccoon Village", but we release the opossum. The raccoons were wrecking havoc here and were getting too dangerous, so we had to have them trapped. :( I just have to find the time to do the meme. I'm thinking about it....really....
Blueyes--It took the opossum getting trapped twice before he caught on to stay away from our yard and the traps. He/she wizened up pretty quickly and we haven't caught anyone for days. I don't know about moles. I don't think we have them here.
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