Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2018

70 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com feature W hat is it about the humble possum – or opposum, if you prefer – that irritates, frightens and annoys so many people, while suggesting to others a delicious and very affordable supper? There are more pros and cons than you could shake a stick at, and, if you’ve seen any of these strange creatures in your backyard, that’s probably just what you wanted to do. No one seems to know how many possums live here, except that there are likely a lot of them. Fact is, in this hemisphere alone, possums range from Maine to California and from Canada to the tip of South America. They’re the only marsupials on this continent. That’s right. It’s almost like having our very own tiny kangaroos right here – except ours have piercing claws, lots of very sharp little teeth and look to most folks like ugly, oversized rats. Or, of course, like ugly, oversized menu items, especially in the rural South. Even that iconic writer Mark Twain listed possum as one of his favorite American delicacies. One thing that possums aren’t is pets. Every authority on the subject strongly advises against trying to domesticate these omnipresent, omnivorous critters. They’re solitary and nomadic. They tend to have a pretty strong odor about them. They only live about three years. And, of course, there are those dangerous teeth and claws. Left to their own devices, possums can be destructive. They nest in your attic, spread disease through their droppings, poke through your garbage and eat any pet food left outdoors. Even worse, these unwelcome visitors have been known to do some serious damage to dogs and cats dumb enough or curious enough to challenge them. By Bill Farley In Defense of Possums Finding the Beauty in the Beast