Very early this morning while still dark I saw a small Raccoon foraging around doing it's nightly routine, he or she came up to the patio for a drink of water and a few peanuts that fell from the bird feeder. I also spotted an Opossum down by the lake and looking for bugs to eat in the lawn by the patio. There are many misconceptions about Raccoons and Opossums. People think they are pests and to often if not killed by cars people murder them because they don't know how to deal with them. Most of the time they do nothing. Instead of killing or trapping them take preventative measures by tethering your trash cans down and using a tight lid. Their are also easy ways to keep them out of your garage or house by using deterrents.
The thing about killing is that it only frees up the territory for new animals in adjacent areas to move in where there is no competition. The problem is never solved by murdering these guys, deterrents are the way to go. Opossums are hugely misunderstood they are very interesting creatures and very clean despite that most people are taught that they are ridden with rabies and other diseases. In all actuality they are the cleanest of all mammals even people. They also don't tear things up and are a huge benefit because they are natures cleaners on account of their diet. Lastly they are the only Marsupials (like kangaroos) in North America and the oldest survivors. Fossils are found to be over 70 million years old.
Today I also saw some adorable squirrels playing and maybe doing possible courtship in the backyard. It was so cute so I posted a video of that. Also I have included pics that I took and a few websites that give factual information about Raccoons
http://www.wildliferescueleague.org/pdf/raccoon.pdf and Opossums.
http://www.opossum.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment