The other day, I was driving behind a truck featuring a business name that caught my eye. Then I pulled up a little closer and saw the logo. Genius.
A classic Australian problem – our kiwi cousins do have possums, of course, but seemingly they are not obliged to treat them like small furry gods, they can turn them into mittens and scarves and winter coats without any social (or legal) stigma. Still, I guess the sounds of possums in the trees and the roof are part of living in an Australian house – pests they may be, but they’re our pests.
Anyways, the Possum Busters website does not disappoint. They are clearly very passionate about the work that they do – offering humane possum removal and even a free possum advice hotline. I bet they get some hilarious calls. There’s a page of FAQs, which are all very interesting, starting with the following warning as an answer to what I’m tipping is the most Frequently Asked Question by residents who haven’t slept for weeks due to their possum terrorist:
Q. Do you / can you / can I kill the possum?
A. No, it is against the law. They are a protected species.
And then there’s this fun fact about possums, which is why the Busters also offer a roof repair service and a 12 month guarantee once they remove a possum from your home:
Q. Can you take the possum away?
A. No, we can only remove it 25m from where we catch it. It is a territorial animal and will die if taken out side of its territory.
25 metres isn’t actually that far, is it? In most suburban areas, it’s probably only a couple of houses down the street, which presumably means that the Busters will get a call from Bill & Betty at number 15 a couple of weeks after the possum problem has shifted from your place to theirs.
Anyways, the website is worth a look if you’re interested in finding out more about this unique service – they also have a gallery of pics of possums they’ve discovered in cupboards, baths (imagine!) and roof cavities. The website is here.
everydaysparks 
Sparks, as a Kiwi cousin, I gotta say this whole possum protection thing has me stumped! In NZ they are considered – sometimes cute – vermin and we have (as you have mentioned) an industry dedicated to maximising their warm, fuzzy fur. When LM and I visited Qualia, I was horrified to have possums joining me at the table in the fine dining restaurant. The only thing the wait staff did was squirt them with a water bottle… and yet, I can’t take Bella out to dinner anywhere! Sometimes life is SO wrong!!! 🙂
I hear ya, TSL! My Dad has lost countless backyard crops to the little vermin & they were a nightly (annoying) fixture as we grew up in a bushy part of Sydney. But at the Qualia table? That’s not part of the extortionate price, surely?! 🙂
It just doesn’t get better than a free possum hotline. Thank you Cate!
How about rat busters?
Aka straight tailed possum