5,000 possums caught in City Sanctuary
We wrap up 2024 with another fantastic milestone - we have now caught over 5,000 possums in City Sanctuary! Chris, who is both a backyard and volunteer trapper, nudged the possum tally to 5,000 while out checking one of the trap lines in Woodhaugh in November.
We caught up with Chris and asked him to share a little bit about what motivated him to become a volunteer with City Sanctuary.
“I started volunteering on the City Sanctuary project around 4 years ago when a neighbour brought it to my attention. At that time, I was in a protracted battle with the local possum population. I was in the habit of putting out sugar water for the local birds but the possums clearly felt that it was for them. The result of this was regular altercations on my back porch in the dead of night. They are worthy adversaries.
It has been some years since I met a possum on my back porch, such has been their decline. In that time, there has been a noticeable increase in birdlife. I run an AirBnB from my property; my guests regularly comment on how nice it is to wake to the dawn chorus. I think that’s a good thing.”
2024 has been an amazing year for City Sanctuary, reaching 5,000 possum catches and 5,000 rat catches! We can’t say often enough how our volunteers and backyard trappers are at the heart of the success we’ve seen across the city. We couldn’t do this without you!
If you take 5,000 average-sized adult possums and line them up nose to tail, it would stretch from The Oval all the way to Woodhaugh gardens!
Would you or someone you know be keen to support us as a backyard trapper or volunteer in 2025? Click on the buttons below if you want to be a part of this important mahi.