I noticed this “lemuroid ringtail possum” story over at Anthony Watts.
It is something I wrote about in 2008 –
“Poster child for climate change” – you be the judge –
and again December 2013 –
Recycled five year old story about global warming threatening White Lemuroid Possum –
I do not recall in the 2008 or 2013 media anything about there being only four critters left. Perhaps I missed something.
This article from the Cairns Post – Possum a ‘polar bear’ of climate change – a bit odd seeing there are many thousands of polar bears. While Polar Bears are being dragged into this – try this site for information on Polar Bear Science.
Anyway – the Cairns Post article states – JUST four white lemuroid ringtail possums have been found in the wild – Just four have been found since 2005.
I wonder if either of these statements could be true.
Time will tell I suppose.
Warwick,
The greens always assume that the possums want to meet them. It may well be that the possums don’t want to meet a large non-marsupial prowling the forest floor in case said prowler is looking for prey. It is highly likely that any possum appearing to such any time for thousands of years has wound up “in the soup”. A Pavlovian response.
Sent in by a much travelled reader –
The Windsor tableland where these lemuroids hang out is a fairly dangerous place to visit.
When I was up in that country -late 80s early 90s the strip along the north side of the road from the junction north of Mt Molloy to Mt Carbine was owned by xxxx (Ed note – deleted, they still own land up there.)
Even though there were quite a few cattle inside the fence on the north side the property owners did not muster it or work it.
However there were 3 or 4 gates, mostly locked with well worn tracks heading in up to the hills.
It is a rain forest tableland & I believe there there are several commercial crops of illegal substances being cultivated.
I stopped coming back from the Palmer one day & heard full
automatic weapons fire coming from somewhere up in the hills.
Perhaps the low head count has something more to do with discretion being the better part of valour. (or perhaps they taste good in garlic & basil with a bottle of chianti)
Jen Marohasy has run this story too.
jennifermarohasy.com/2008/12/white-possum-probably-not-extinct-from-global-warming/
jennifermarohasy.com/2009/03/white-possum-back-from-extinction-but-now-possum-man-has-gone-bush/
My reaction was, feral cats have arrived.