The possum torturers of Hughes

Absolutely horrible!

Possums have trouble in the day. We had a big one once manage to wind itself up in the bamboo. We cut bamboo until we could get it out, and it staggered around a bit and then tried to climb up my leg! We put it in a dark spot in the shed with some water, and by nightfall it had decamped.

Thank God for the RSPCA.

Possums are nocturnal so the chances of it hanging around any type of machinery during the day are pretty slim aren’t they?

i hope they find the person responsible and send him to prison or even better skin him! makes me so angry and distressed

There’s nothing more evil than torturing an animal.

IF it was a person, they should be face the full force of the law and a good kicking. That said, what if the poor little thing got its fur stuck in some machine? I’ve heard of kids scalped by pool and spa filters so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

A little off topic but…I had this idea a while ago that the space on the back of rego stickers could house the phone numbers relevant to injured wildlife, RSPCA and emergency/police attendance.
Anyone here working at the Motor registry; perhaps you could make this happen?

If it was a human, and they get caught, we should send them to court in Queanbeyan…

Thanks for people’s thoughts and interest in this story. I’m CEO over at RSPCA, I’ve seen the photos and the possum, incisions are neat and tidy and symmetrical, almost surgical. What was done was done by a (low life scum) human unless there are some pretty handy knife wielding cats out there!!
Michael

Duke said :

Erm, here’s another thought, it was a cat, not a person! We’ve had several local possums shredded because some rotten pet owners refuse to bring their cats in at night.

not too expensive for the cat owners to buy and install a cat run. I did. though my moggy would have a cardiac just trying to catch a cockroach.

Erm, here’s another thought, it was a cat, not a person! We’ve had several local possums shredded because some rotten pet owners refuse to bring their cats in at night.

Good advise poptop.
Done and done.

Apart from the obvious horror, I find it particularly sickening that the poor creature was still alive. It makes me hate people.

reading this acually made me feel physcially sick

Um, just a thought, the perp may very well not be from Hughes. These crims travel around the place a bit, you know.

Having said that, I believe that a possum fur industry (and possibly possum stew as well) would be a good thing. Provided it is done humanely, of course. Same as roos – rather than culling and disposing of these animals, they should be put to much better use, particularly as we are now well into BBQ season.

Re putting Wildcare’s number in one’s phone:
I found a roo that’d just been hit by a car on the captain’s flat road one morning recently. He was a big one, and was lying propped up on one elbow, stunned and puzzled why he couldn’t get up. The car was still there. I don’t have signal at that point so drove up the hill (about 500 metres) and called Wildcare from there. The lady said I was the 5th person to call about that accident! So evidently many locals heeded the advice to program in Wildcare’s number.

While it’s at the top of your mind, punch these numbers into you mobile and/or stick them on a Postit Note in your glovebox

For injured wildlife please contact these RSPCA numbers:
02 6287 8113 (Business Hours)
0413 495 031 (After Hours)
Animals found in NSW: Wildcare on 6299 1966

When you see an injured animal you won’t want to be faffing around looking for the numbers.

There are some fiendish, evil people walking among us.

i was at the old canberra inn last night sitting under the giant vine out the back beer garden and one of the resident possums was hanging out right near us – it was so cute!!!! i can’t comprehend feeling the need to hurt one at all 🙁

regardless of how it has happened, it sickens me at the thought of that animal in such pain…

awful 🙁 animal cruelty is such a sickening cowardly act.

I hope that it wasn’t a person that did it. Very poor form.

Do they know whether it was scalped by a person, or whether another animal had managed to take the scalp off?

I once knew a cat that used to take the scalp and ears of bunnies regularly.

The bunnies never survived though.