The other morning, I discovered a friend in our trap. We've caught many things in our fox trap--turtles, chickens, a raccoon, and even a skunk, but never a fox. This morning was no different, and we only added to the list of non-fox creatures caught: a possum.
My husband's plan was to put the poor guy out of our misery. We both suspected the detainee was most likely responsible for the missing chickens and chicks over the past year, as well as the critically injured chicken (who's miraculously doing well.) We were more than eager to get rid of the pest, that is until my husband discovered "he" was a "she," and more importantly, she was a mom.
I went to see for myself. Sure enough, just as my husband claimed, six little possum tails attached to plump little possum butts could be seen curled under her belly. Instantly, I knew we couldn't take away the tiny babies' mother, and my husband agreed.
Instead, we sentenced her to a half day of hard time. So far it seems to have worked with the rest of the critters we've acquired in our miniature cell. Hopefully, she learned her lesson too, a lesson she would be wise to pass on to her children.
Sometimes, even the enemy deserves our compassion.
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