Animal Recycling?

Animal in Recycling Bin by Peter Giblett
@pgiblett (6524)
Canada
February 29, 2016 8:55am CST
We have often seen our recycling bins turned over by animals but yesterday morning we found an animal in the paper recycling bin, and the bin was completely upright. You can see the animal here, I am not 100% sure what it is, but do think it is an opossum and it had gotten into our paper bin, but could not get out because of the height of the bin, which had not fallen over. we tipped the bin on it's side for a while but the animal refused to leave, clinging, scared to the bottom of the bin for safety. After about 30 minutes emptied it out into the garden and it ran away into the cover of the trees.
16 people like this
14 responses
• United States
29 Feb 16
Absolutely a possum (the way us country folk spell it!)
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
A possum is an Australian creature and as far as I can tell seems related.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
@AbbyGreenhill To me it looks the same as the Auzzie animal as well
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Feb 16
@pgiblett I'm lazy and we spell it possum, its all the same animal.
2 people like this
@paigea (36317)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
Poor little thing. Glad it finally got out
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
So am I, Our cat watched it go, not that he would harm anything.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
@paigea Mine if the biggest cat I have ever had, looks like a lion, but is the biggest coward of them all. He needs to see Dorothy.
2 people like this
@paigea (36317)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
@pgiblett Our cat would try!
2 people like this
@inertia4 (27960)
• United States
29 Feb 16
That is somewhat odd that he got in there like that. They are not nice animals though. But at least he got out and ran away.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
It looked more scared than anything. The weird thing was getting into the bin without tipping it over.
1 person likes this
@inertia4 (27960)
• United States
29 Feb 16
@pgiblett That is amazing really. But those animals, or should I say, large rodents are not nice. They are scavengers also.
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
1 Mar 16
@inertia4 I would not put my hand anywhere near it.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471456)
• Switzerland
29 Feb 16
Yes, this animal is surely an Opossum. Poor thing, he was surely scared and tired, because I am sure, he tried all the night to escape from this "prison".
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
But when we laid the box on it's side it would not move. Even when we tipped it out it scurreyed back into the corner of the box.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
@LadyDuck That is possible, I know nothing about them.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471456)
• Switzerland
29 Feb 16
@pgiblett Opossums are nocturnal animals. It is possible that it was scared by the light of the day.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
29 Feb 16
It does look cute, but I'm not sure what it is either. We don't get them here.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
@jaboUK The smelliest and slowest creature on the planet.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
29 Feb 16
@pgiblett I'm certainly glad that we don't get skunks!
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
1 Mar 16
Cute possum, we have motion lights in the back and see this little guy and other critters when they wander through the yard after dark. We have a critter proof Garbage can but our paper and glass and Tim are poem. Never have noticed a critter in the recycle but some nights before trash pick up the street is littered with trash, usually done by racoons.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
1 Mar 16
We don't put the garbage outside (except on collection day). They rarely get into the paper, plastic, or glass.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
1 Mar 16
@PainsOnSlate I can't imagine how it got in there as it doesn't look as if it has much of a reach or ability to jump. Wat else could we do but set it free?
1 person likes this
• Canada
1 Mar 16
@pgiblett We have our bins in the garage all week until trash day, It looks like a baby but they aren't very big full grown, cute though. Glad you set him free.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (100300)
• India
1 Mar 16
Aw....cho cute...sweet of you...actually Peter I thought scaring people was my birthright...how come you are infringing my rights.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
1 Mar 16
But I tried my best not to scare to poor creature.
@valmnz (17097)
• New Zealand
29 Feb 16
Poor little thing. It really does look frightened. Glad it was able to escape to safety.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
It was very frightened and with our cat sniffing around I suppose that dictated its return to the box.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
29 Feb 16
I've never seen an opossum so I couldn't tell you if you're right or wrong about this animal. I'm glad it finally ran for cover.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
We wanted it to be safe as well.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
29 Feb 16
@pgiblett I'm sure he did.
1 person likes this
@bobo2500 (153)
• Howell, Michigan
2 Mar 16
yep, thats a Possum! (i know i mispelled that). We have a lot of them out here. Most people think of them as ugly or a nuisance, i personally think they're pretty cute and interesting. When they are scared they "Play possum" and freeze, it's a defense mechanism of sorts. That's probably why it took so long to scurry away. Either way, great photo!
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
2 Mar 16
Thanks. I thought it important to catch it somehow.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340226)
• Rockingham, Australia
1 Mar 16
Poor thing! It must have been very scared and was trying to hide.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
1 Mar 16
I think they are night creatures and tried the recycling bins at night in the home it would find something. Must have been very hungry.
1 person likes this
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
5 Mar 16
Wow, I have never found any little critters in my trash cans. Thank goodness, I think I would be more scared than the animal.
@andriaperry (116936)
• Anniston, Alabama
29 Feb 16
Yes its a opossum, LOL.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
29 Feb 16
That is what I thought, it seems an animal with limited reach so I was curious how it climbed in the bin.
• Aberdeen, Scotland
3 Mar 16
Poor little thing, that's good he eventually left your bin
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
3 Mar 16
It would have been the last thing we needed in it.