Wife saw a opossum outside last night and I ran out to whack it. It was a small one right by the house. Normally I do not mind creatures but these guys and the coyotes kill a lot of good wild and domestic animals and they even kill horses - that's right! The horse owners around here tell me opossums carry a disease that can kill horses. If a 'possum defecates in a pasture or where ever a horse may graze they can pick it up. The name of this disease is Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis or "EPM". It's a parasite that causes inflammation in the spinal column and brain.
Since trappers are rare today opossums can become a real threat to horse owners so I do not hesitate to thin out my area when these disease carriers show up.
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