Possums are taking their vagabond shoes to the city that doesn't sleep.
Recently, I spent some time in Brooklyn, New York and things are getting pretty wild down there. And I don’t mean the people — although there are some pretty colorful characters.
One night during my stay, I was awakened by a strange noise. I looked out the window and saw what I first thought were the world’s biggest rats running around in the backyard. Silly me! New York City rats run around in broad daylight, of course. No, these creatures were surprisingly enough, opossums!
Although somewhat rat-like in appearance, they are not rodents at all. Possums are North America’s only marsupial, and are related to koalas and kangaroos. And while they are known for eating mice, rats, and even cockroaches, they are not normally found in the Big Apple.
Nevertheless, these cat-sized scavengers, which are fairly common in the Granite State, appear to have successfully set up shop within sight of the Empire State Building. According to the locals I spoke with, raccoons are also known to roam around certain parts of the neighborhood. Staten Island — maybe, but Brooklyn? Fugghedaboudit!
So, I can’t decide if finding these creatures in a city with nearly 35,000 people per square mile is good or bad. The pessimist in me says that we humans are taking up so much space that wildlife have nowhere else left to go anymore. While there’s plenty of garbage to eat Brooklyn is still a tough place to make a living for your average raccoon or possum.
On the plus side, the presence of these animals does show how remarkably adaptable they are that they can survive in New York City. After all, as the song says, “if you can make it there, you can make it any where!â€
