Sydney Life

Myth: Animals are more scared of you than you are of them.

Fact: Our furry little friends the possums may be the exception to this rule.

I am someone who you would probably classify as ‘somewhat’ scared of animals big and small. I am not one of those girly girls who screeches at the sight of a cockroach. In fact, I can handle insects and creepy crawlies rather well. It’s the more unpredictable animals that make me cautious.

I went camping for a couple of days during the mid semester break down in Jervis Bay on the south coast. It was such a refreshing and relaxing holiday, just what I needed to rejuvenate before the last month of uni and exams. It involved a scenic road trip, watching the sun rise, a beautiful bush walk and top company. Perfect.

Back to the possum story. The sun had just set, the torches were in use and our bellies were rumbling. It was time for dinner. My friend and I started a fire in the allocated cooking stove – well, who am I kidding?! It was really my friend who started the fire and I was there for moral support and to be collector of fire wood. Then we started preparing our gourmet dinner – pita pizza.

I was innocently spreading tomato paste on the pita when I got a huge shock (but you’ll be pleased that there was no piercing shriek!) A huge possum was at my feet and coming towards the food. It wasn’t just any possum. This possum had a baby attached to its back. I jumped up and retreated. My friend, ever the animal lover, started talking to it and trying to convince it to leave the food alone. Didn’t work. So then we kind of tried to stamp our feet in front of it, but that also didn’t work. We poked it with a stick and it still didn’t leave us alone. My friend resorted to jumping like a kangaroo to make it run away.

This happened at least a dozen times during the pizza making and eating (which might I add was one of the best home made pizzas I’ve ever had.) I have never met such an audacious animal. It certainly was not scared of us, even with a baby on its back.

An exchange student once told me that she wants to see Australian animals before she leaves. Never mind the animal parks, go camping and you might see an echidna or a kangaroo…and you’re guaranteed to see some haughty possums!