On Thursday, July 28, 2016 at 11:14:46 AM UTC-4, Gary wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> >
> > I know Gary wouldn't do this, but my husband would stick the
> > Havahart trap with the possum still in it into a big container
> > of water. He'd rather shoot it with his .22 (which would be quicker
> > and thus more humane, but doesn't want to risk skipping a round off
> > into the neighborhood behind us.
>
> Oh dear lord. Are you kidding me? You catch it in an animal friendly
> trap but then drown it? How unfriendly is that? I suppose that saves him
> some gasoline money though. Use that for the lawnmower.

The alternative would be a leg-hold trap, which is both inhumane
and illegal.

> Imagine if that was a mother possum out to find food for her babies.
> I've seen them in my yards in the past. I just leave them alone. Why
> kill them?

My husband will trap and kill anything that he doesn't like. Groundhogs
are his prime target, but he also has animosity to possums. If he
traps a skunk he'll kill that, too, although the logistics are bothersome.
He used to have chloroform, which helped with dispatching skunks, but
he used it all up. He urinates on cats and releases them. He has
a smaller trap for chipmunks and red squirrels (which chew on the house).

> At the very least why not do a catch and release? That *IS* the purpose
> of those traps. You certainly must have some forest areas somewhere near
> you where he could do that.

Don't you suppose that the carrying capacity of those forests is at
a maximum? Why should we introduce additional animals into a populated
ecosystem? Then they all starve (except for the scavengers).

> Death from drowning is fairly quick but google it and see what a victim
> goes through. It's actually one of worst kinds of death from what I've
> read. Google about opossums too and read how they are so mild and meek.
> One in your yard might be an annoyance but certainly no threat. Let it
> share your land.

They only are trapped if they come near the house. We have two acres.
They can stay in the back by the drainage ditch without risking their
lives.

Cindy Hamilton