The Night Visitor

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The midnight marsupial learned how to get to the cat's platform in the summer of 2002. Since then he's become quite bold, coming earlier in the evening. Sometimes we find him out there when we take Goldie for her last walk. Then great excitement ensues.

The first time we caught him with his snout in the trough was about four in the morning. William was leaving early for work and went out with the dog to feed up. The dog went berserk. William went for the camera. The possum held his ground:

Or backed into a corner, depends on your point of view.

Here are several more, in thumbnail:

By Spring, 2003, we're up to at least three regulars. After one spent the night on top of the cats' house and interfered with the breakfast feeding we decided that the time had come to take steps.

Step one, harassment. Poke at 'em with a stick. Doesn't work. They're either too smart or too dumb.

Step two, Havahart. He's over the top,  looks back and laughs. Back to the drawing board.

Step three. A few nights later the other big possum was back, and had settled in entirely too comfortably in the cats house.

We set the trap right up to the door and left. In the morning, success.

He thinks he can talk his way out of it, but it's transportation for this bloke.

Here he's ready for the road.

We took him about five miles, to a spot where the Palmetto Trail, running alongside Fort Jackson, crosses Colonel Creek. The trail comes out to the road there, and there's a foot bridge over the creek.

We didn't have to push to get him out of the trap. Notice the beavered gum-stump in the foreground.

He was straightaway down the bank, in the water, and head for the far distant shore.