273E  These twin possums were born and raised in a farm shed that they now call their permanent home. Possums are nocturnal animals that are native to Australia and that feed mainly on fruit. For many Australians possums are not the cute furry creatures they appear to be in this picture. They frequently make themselves at home in the roof cavities or lofts of residential buildings, and in garages and garden sheds from where they make nocturnal forays into gardens and orchards to tuck into bananas, mangoes, apples, pears or any other fruit that is available. Possums were introduced Into New Zealand many years ago to provide hunters with animals that could be shot for their beautiful soft fur, but their arrival in that country led to an environmental disaster. Possums, having rapidly increased their population,  have severely damaged the ecology of the forests and woodlands in which they live, for with their voracious appetites they have had a dramatic impact on the vegetation and on the indigenous species of wildlife that, in many cases, they have displaced.

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