Erik Brians’ dead opossum feeds the turkey vultures

On Friday, 18 Februaty 2022, Erik Brians found a dead opossum in a customer’s subarea, while there checking traps. The possum had been dead for a very short time, as no decay had set in. He removed the deceased marsupial, in a plastic bag, and brought it back to office and gave it to me. I keep a feeding bin in the back of my property for just these types of things, including trap-killed mice, rats, and gophers.

The next morning, Saturday, some blow flies had found it, but there was still no noticeable odor. By around noon, the vultures detected it, and came to feed. All they did on Saturday was basically eat the guts out of it, and move the thing 30 feet from where I had placed it.

On Sunday morning, 5-6 vultures came in and ate more of it, moving the carcass another 15 feet . Pictures below.

You just can’t waste a perfectly good opossum!

 

Dead opossum in attic. Rat trap is there for size reference.
Dead opossum in attic. Rat trap is there for size reference. This was an old, mature possum.
Turkey vultures gathered at the dead possum.
Turkey vultures gathered at the dead possum.

 

Dead opossum after a second round of vulture dining.
Dead opossum after a second round of vulture dining.