They win in the possum department for sure.

@DoctoralZombie Still can't believe people here in the UK keep them as pets, though. They're completely bloody nocturnal. Who needs a pet that sleeps all day and goes bat-shit crazy at 2am?

@MrBeelzeebubbles It would not be my first choice in pet, either.

You may be right

Funny, right! But so unfair to possums.

@DoctoralZombie you are correct ! Possums are useful and interesting creatures. I on occasion have them in my yard and am happy to have them about.

@Ohub Much maligned 'Merican marsupials

@DoctoralZombie I am a big fan the possum - grew up with them all around in Louisiana, and happy to have them in my yard doing their job in Omaha. Last year, I had an adult possum that I saw quite a bit over the course of about six months in my yard - the yard must have been on its regular food foraging route. I live in an older neighborhood - lots are larger than the new neighborhoods, lots of old trees, and places for critters to live and hang out. (I've seen owls, hawks, raccoons, possums, bats, etc here, and there are foxes around as well).

One day last summer, I noticed the possum out by the back fence when one of the dogs found it and scared it into its catatonic state. I shooed the dogs inside and was going to leave it along, thinking it would wake up and amble off to safety. That didn't happen. The possum woke up, and was clearly struggling to move. I thought something was wrong and called the Humane Society and told them what was going on. They sent someone out. As it turned out, its leg was caught in a snare trap set by the neighbors and the poor thing was trying to escape under the fence but the trap was on the other side. Those traps are illegal....

The animal control officer was pissed (good!). He had me help him take pictures and free the poor possum from the trap. He put it in a kennel and promised he would take it and they would try to rehab and release the possum. Then he went over the neighbors and gave them the business about it. Dumbass people had hired a trapper to get rid of raccoons but the trapper person pretended he did not know the law about the leg traps. Unfortunately, he let them off with a warning and didn't ticket them. (Grr).

Now I am mad at the neighbors again !