Too Soon? Some Orindans Want Possums or Opossums Back in the Community

An Orinda Loves Possums (OLP) family setting an empty chair for returning opossum. Looks like they’ll need another!

Orinda, CA – Ten years after the infamous opossum infestation, a local advocacy group, Orinda Love Possums (OLP), is dedicated to improving community relationships with the local opossum population. The OLP aims to normalize interactions between residents and these often misunderstood creatures.

The community of Orinda was once overrun by opossums, leading to widespread concern and action. "Ten years ago, we had an infestation. I think things got out of hand. Nowadays, I never see them around, living or dead," stated Carol Foster, 36, of the Orinda Downs neighborhood. This shift in visibility has prompted OLP to take steps towards reconciliation.

However, not everyone is ready for a rapprochement with the opossums. "My husband still sleeps with the light on whenever he hears scratching at the door. I think my kids do it now with sticks just to keep him on edge. If real opossums come back to Orinda, we will have to move," stated Carol Mahoney, 52, of the Glorieta neighborhood.

Orinda Love Possums is encouraging residents to install cat doors and place tins of tuna fish just inside the door as a gesture of goodwill. Several OLP members have experimented with this approach, successfully coaxing opossums to join them during meals.

"We said grace, and then Fester crawled through the cat door and hopped up on a chair we had set for him. We did not pause the conversation to make him feel comfortable," shared Carol White, a founding member of OLP. "They are omnivores, so they are easy to cook for. I gave mine truffle shavings over a Hot Pocket. He ate it right up," White added.

Source: Picture of 2014 Opossum invasion. Lives were lost, lessons were learned.(1)

Despite OLP's efforts, some residents remain skeptical. "This is the type of nonsense that started the infestation of 2014. People have such short memories," stated Todd Schluter, who held a small counter-protest against the group last Sunday at Orinda Community Park. Schluter, wearing a "Swerve to Hit a Possum" t-shirt, set up a card table and handed out flyers containing "shocking facts about possums." The only takers were a group of young children who used the flyers to make paper airplanes.

The community is also divided over terminology. Pro-opossum residents use the proper scientific term "opossum," while opponents refer to them as "possum." Professor Carol Petal of UC Berkeley's Rhetoric Department was asked about the implications of this dual use. She responded, "I'm trying to find kids to take my classes. Everybody is a Computer Science major. I don't have time to talk about this type of sophistry(2). Who are you, and how did you get my number?"

As Orinda navigates this unique chapter, the Orinda Love Possums group remains steadfast in their mission to foster a peaceful coexistence with the local opossum population. Whether through shared meals or community outreach, OLP believes that understanding and compassion are key to building a harmonious relationship with these nocturnal neighbors.

Footnote:

1) four possums and an innocent cat were lost their lives in the invasion. It is not clear if the opossums killed were ring leaders or just there to “F-around and find out”.

2)Sophistry is an overly complicated word for the use of fallacious (2) arguments, especially to deceive.

3) Fallicious is an overly fancy word for “fake” used by Rhetoric PHDs that are trying to make tenure.

Related article: https://www.localtattler.com/news/orinda-marks-10-year-anniversary-of-the-infamous-opossum-infestation