Kelly Cassidy says -


Opossum: The opossum was introduced to the western US from the eastern
US. In Washington State, we have numerous records in the Puget Sound
from residential areas, farms, and along water courses. There are
many records from Seattle and Tacoma, one from Vancouver,
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ONE???? Ye gods, there are more opossums in the Fraser Delta than you can point a bloodhound at. I would really like to know what info source you are using because it apparently doesn't have a clue. Two personal memories: a Samoyed yelping (from a safe distance) at a possum baring all 52 needle-sharp teeth at a neighbours house in Tsawwassen, B.C. - must have been in maybe 1970 or 1971; removing a pregnant female from a gillnet we were repairing in the back yard, taking her into the house just in case she was "playing 'possum", chasing her around the bedroom when she miraculously woke up, re-catching her finally and releasing her a bit farther from the cruel webbing - circa 1974. There are still lots of possums to this day in the delta.


I'll just stick in a bit on Eastern Gray Squirrels: they have moved into Tsawwassen over the past two or three years and have all but wiped out the formerly scarce but regular Douglas Squirrel.

,Jack




Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
CANADA
jack_bowling at mindlink.bc.ca