Are Opossums Really Worth It!?

Okay, so admittedly I'm no biologist but come on! These guys must not have seen the movie Children of Men. How can anyone think this is a good idea? It's not like we don't have too many instances of "medical mix-ups" as is...Baxter and Bird Flu...or that that viruses never mutate...

www.loe.org...

The aim of the research is to sterilize as many possums as possible. So scientists are enlisting the animal's own immune system using proteins from possum sperm and egg to create a vaccine that will prevent fertilization. Initially, the plan is to introduce the vaccine in the form of genetically modified carrots. But such a bait-delivered vaccine will still only reach a small percentage of the entire possum population. So Joanne Meers, a virologist at Massey University, is working to find a virus that could be used to spread sterility from one possum to another.

MEERS: Viruses have an advantage over other delivery systems, in that it gives two chances or two hits at being specific for possums. Not only have we got a virus that will only infect possums, but we also have a bit of - the protein is also specific for possums. So we have two prongs in the attack of being specific for possums.

COUKELL: Developing an infectious agent that spreads sterility requires a great deal of caution. The scientists will have to proceed carefully to ensure that the virus affects only possums and not humans or other animals

[edit on 7/4/2009 by kosmicjack]

One simple question.

Who is funding this?

"And tonight across the country, like every night, they will eat about 20,000 tons of vegetation."

I'm not a farmer by any stretch, but 20k tons seems like a lot of vegetation for just one night?

Maybe it is a bigger problem.

[edit on 7-4-2009 by Republican08]

reply to post by kosmicjack


Wow those dudes must really hate Opossums. I had one in my garage once and it kept coming back. I had to beat it half to death with a shovel and drown it. But I never was really that upset about it. I never felt a need to sterilize the little guys. I wouldnt have even killed that guy but I was afraid he might bite one of my kids or my wife.

I dunno. I like to blame Monsanto for everything but these are opossums and not potatoes so we'll just go with the CFR...or AIG, whichever.

This is horrifying! Who in their right minds would consider this a reasonable solution? Thanks for bringing this to the fore kosmicjack.

zombies

simply put they are working on making zombies

its pretty obvious

they want a virus to infect possums that will make them infect other possums so they all die

im sure itll spread eventually, and george romero will be standing around telling everyone hes a prophet

Yikes. It's a Yankee plot to starve southerners.

Somebody better think twice about destroying a valuable food source in this day of food shortages or if/when we do have shortages.

I guess those scientist have never chowed down on baked possum and taters. Hush my mouth and slap my fanny that is some good eating.

Opossum has long been a staple food of the older African American family.

I know it is delicious because I shot one when I was a kid and our housekeeper cooked it for my brother and me.

He is sure not a pretty fellow but he cooks up real tasty. He has to be boiled first to get the fat out of him then baked with potatoes in the oven and you've got a very tasty dish.

I'm not kidding. This is the absolute truth. Possum is good eating.

This could be a NWO plot also to starve us survivalist that may one day depend on what we can kill or catch to survive. Well, probably not.

Why can't scientist do something to rid us of sand gnats and misquotes.
That would be a most worthy cause. I can't go out to my garden without soaking down with deet. The person that finally does eradicate misquotes will go down in history and become a gazillionaire.

Please don't eradicate the opossums. Many a southern boy and girl learned how to be an expert shot when spending the weekends with grandma shooting those pesky, garden destroying critters in the wee hours of the mornings when the dogs would tree one of those guys.

I would tell you about how the term "playing possum " came about but that's another story.

Save the possum.


[edit on 7-4-2009 by dizziedame]
I can't ssee or spell very well at 2 in the morning

[edit on 7-4-2009 by dizziedame]

Ahhhh....mother natures scavengers of the earth. I don't eat them but i do feed them, in fact, they eat what cat food the cats don't eat. I had one come up every night to eat, never bothered the ducks or cats.

But to eradicate them.......why?!?!

Men playing God again.

I have a few Opossums around my place and also a beautiful organic garden year round that they never mess with.

Why do they want to eradicate opossums?

um last time I checked Opossums where a declining species at least in Conneticut USA. And forget seeing any in Northern Rhode island which I call a species dead zone.

I suggest that we sterilize the people who come up with these ideas!

Possums are EVERYWHERE here in the south and it would be next to impossible to get them all and all you need are one or two... those ugly bastards breed like rats.

[edit on 7-4-2009 by grover]

man, i love ATS.....

Alan Coukell reported on the problem of possums in New Zealand. The non-native species ate tens of thousands of tons of forest each day and can spread tuberculosis to other animals.

OP's source

are opossum's the irish cousins of austrailian possums?



[edit on 7/4/09 by pieman]

reply to post by pieman


Maybe...

en.wikipedia.org...

On a side note, the linked transcript is from 2001. Let's hope some diabolical genius hasn't already created this virus and set it loose in the ecosystem.

[edit on 7/4/2009 by kosmicjack]

People have been doing this in Australia with Koalas between 1997 - 2001. So there has been strong evidence to say it actually works in controlling numbers.



encarta.msn.com...

nrm.sa.gov.au...

reply to post by pazcat


Are they using a virus to "spread" the sterilization or are they strictly using conventional surgery or other means as stated in your links? I didn't see a viral method mentioned. Maybe I missed it?

It looks like they're targetting opposums, but fully intending this virus to spread to humans. Unfortunately theres less than or close to 0% birth rates in advanced countries with social programs, and health care. In much of the world this implies social justice and sharing resources and developing, which they never intend to do and we must force it. Its called freeing the slaves.

Sleight of hand as usual. Forcing their way and slipping one by us.

I dont think so, but somewhere along the line i know there is a natural chylamydia virus that causes sterilization in Koalas and it could of been a variant of that being used. I cant say for sure im no biologist looking to cull animal populations.

It just seems like a logical conclusion to use a virus that already exist in an animal population to control them, if it were a sythetic new virus then it would be more concerning.

[edit on 7-4-2009 by pazcat]

Originally posted by pazcat
People have been doing this in Australia with Koalas between 1997 - 2001. So there has been strong evidence to say it actually works in controlling numbers.

People have not been using using chylamydia to deliberately sterilize koalas and control their populations.. doing that would put the entire species at risk. Perhaps you were thinking of this contraception program:

www.abc.net.au...
"In the 1930s our koala population was threatened," he said.

"Now we have a pretty healthy koala population but in some areas there are too many koalas and that is meaning not enough food for them."

Mr Thwaites says Victoria is the first state in Australia to have a plan to control its koala population through contraception.

"It makes sense to have a humane, sensible approach like contraception which prevents the koala populations getting out of hand, rather than coming in and having a cull later on down the track," he said.

The trial saw adult female koalas rendered infertile for six years using a contraceptive implant placed in the back of the animals' necks.

They are trying to get rid of an invasive species.

The possum in New Zealand is destroying the native species like the beloved Kiwi bird.


I have to admit that I'm more than a little concerned about possum to possum transmission of a birth control virus. That would seem to have additional devastating effects as a potential side effect.

reply to post by riley


I never said they used chlamydia to sterilize them i said maybe, i dont know what they used. And i do know they where sterilizing Koalas on Kangaroo Island and some parts of Victoria in the last 10 years or so. But in context of this thread using the naturally occuring chlamydia that occurs on the mainland of Australia to sterylise the population would not be that much of a leap, it would prevent releasing any unknown virus into the wild. I dont think it would be sensible im sure having chlamydia is not fun for Koalas. But if its deemed necessary to cull a wild poulation surely a naturally occuring virus could be the solution.