I know, I wouldn't have either. But Laurel nailed it.
Oh, Catmad, DH reminded me that geese do sleep with their heads under their wings, which may be how the possum got a jump on them. Otherwise it might not have been possible.
Something Got Our Two Geese...
That's terrible. Glad you got him. If there is one, there are probably others.
One of the first threads I read at DG was one about a woman who lost her precious hens and duck to some monster she was after. It had tunneled underground from a far distance away, up under the coop and then up to her babies. It was a long thread, and at the end was a picture of a dead badger.
I wonder if there really are others. We've had geese in that pasture for well over ten years now with no problems, ever. And we're right on a small tidal river. We're thinking that we had one rogue possum and that's it.
Congratulations on the trapping.
It's that time of year when the juveniles go out on their own. Possums are solitary and stay around only as long as food and water are available. This is a situation where the animal could be relocated though it's probably too late for that. As for the effectiveness of their hunting skills; It would be darn difficult for an animal to get a possum off its back. Especially while it was being eviscerated. I don't think they work at it for a time. It's a pretty swift process. However, it can take a while for a disemboweled animal to die.
Laurel, I was too angry at what the possum did to our geese to want to show it any mercy. Many years ago a coon was picking off our ducks, and not even eating them - just killing them. DH shot it and I roasted it with stuffing. It wasn't very good, but I felt it owed us...
The poor geese died such a horrible death.
A good Brunswick stew recipe would come in handy here.
'Possums can be really nasty critters. Some years ago one tried to kill one of my dogs in much the same way and right in front of my eyes. Unfortunately for the 'possum he pick the crazy red heeler. It didn't turn out well for said 'possum. The dog came out of if with barely a mark. That dog was the only dog I've ever seen actually catch squirrels. She was a crazy little heeler (I think they call her variety a Kelsie or a Kelpy?) but we loved her.
Wow, so you've actually witnessed that kind of attack? It's amazing that a possum would take on a dog like that. I have certainly learned a lot about possums recently; who knew?
I had taken the dogs out in our backyard after dark (flash light in hand) for their last potty of the day. We hadn't had the house for very long but were told that the previous owner had fed all the squirrels and other wildlife in the detached garage (a practice I was not about to continue) and that the squirrels especially were now not afraid of humans. The squirrels did indeed look like pregnant daschounds. By "other wildlife" I didn't imagine an oposum. Thus crazy Heeler and Corgi puppy met Mr 'Possum strolling through the backyard at night looking for his usual meal. The Heeler cornered the 'possum and then the 'possum jumped onto her back and started ripping out fur 'till he got skin. Heeler had very loose skin around her neck and she spun around "inside her skin" and grabbed the 'possum by the neck. So he had her and she had him. 'Possum lost, I think she broke his neck. She was fast as lightning about it too. In the mean time I was jumping around, yelling for back-up, and trying to catch the Corgi puppy who was doing his level best to get in on the action. This all happened very fast and very loud. All the neighbor's back lights flew on. Did I mention I was out there in my jammies? My dad later told me that a 'possum will do that to a dog, "They'll cut a dog wide open from above" is what he said... He used to hunt alot. Opossums are really crafty little devils. We got the Heeler from a rescue society. The original owners had paid quite a bit for her and then couldn't deal with her high energy level so they just let her run and "forgot" to feed her when she "stopped coming home". She survived for several months on her own before animal control caught up with her. She still had her original tags on her collar. That dog really knew how to handle herself! I guess she learned the hard way.
Wow, thanks for the story! What a horrifying experience that must have been! Thanks heavens your dog was faster than that possum.
That dog got me into and out of so many scrapes over her lifetime I've come to believe that she was some kind of Victorian adventurer or explorer in a previous life. And she was never sad, always had a big goofy smile on her face! She definetely was not a city dog, but made the best of it when we lived in the city.
Update: DH caught a raccoon in the trap a few days ago, but we're thinking that he was just after the tuna and not the poultry. So we put the trap away. He kept baiting the trap thinking that we might get another possum but one is all we've seen. So maybe we're safe to get some more geese in the spring.
Green, not to be a downer, but by spring your possum should have been "replaced". The same thing happens when people try to eliminate feral cats by removing/destroying them. You get rid of the original population, and it just leaves the niche open for someone else to move in. It was probably a good place to be a possum, even aside from your poor geese. There are probably enough juvenile possies in the area looking for their own territory that one will find you.
sorry
I am sure the same is true of many animal populations. I have always assumed so and just lived with the current populace - except the feral cats get trapped and "fixed" first.
Maybe the possum will be replaced, but once you have a possum that has learned to look at your poultry yard as a buffet, you've got to get rid of it. We have had various geese for over twenty years on our little farm, and this is the first time anything has attacked them. And the possum we destroyed got both of them, two different nights. So I'm hoping that any other possums will go about their business and leave our yard alone, as the predecessors did. We have also removed raccoons and been free of predation from that kind of animal for years now.
Your results may vary, as they say.