Update on the Death of a Possum

Part three of Murder in the Bamboo Forest

A young possum has died, and the circumstances are suspicious, but the best minds now believe that the possum was taken ill or was perhaps wounded elsewhere, climbed up into the bamboo himself and later died.

The murder has been downgraded to a suspicious death. The causes may have been natural, or it may have been a lesser offense such as possumslaughter.

Norma’s orange and white cat has been seen recently in the south part of our yard, so Craig picked him up for questioning. He isn't talking. He is not, we repeat, not a suspect, but he remains an animal of interest.

Wily is considered no longer capable of catching and harming even a baby possum. She sleeps on the deck at night these days, so it is likely she witnessed the whole thing, but so far she is not cooperating with the investigation, either. The case has gone cold.

Poor little guy, he probably was wounded, maybe by a cat, and fled up into the bamboo. He wrapped his tail to help hang on and then died of his wounds in the cold night. I bet that tail is pretty well jammed into the joint of the bamboo branch.

More Animals We Live With: Remains of an Owl