🚀 go-pugleaf

"Je�us" <none@all.org> wrote in message 
news:lobmm89mbkkgfcp0dfcm6rvlm86aomripe@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:47:45 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
> <secret@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>
>>The possum of Oz is fearsome opponent, the sight of a net will make it 
>>want
>>to chew holes and the sight of a fence will make it want to climb.  They 
>>do
>>both very well.  Unless your fence is smooth metal that has no grip for
>>strong little claws I would be running an electric wire on standoffs to
>>deter it.
>
> Yep, which is why I want to use corrugated iron, with the fence
> framework and posts on the *inside* of the orchard. There's no way
> they could climb up corrugated iron.
>
>>If they get to the bird net they will get in.  In a tree they can
>>jump quite a distance, a metre or more I guess, whether they would jump 
>>from
>>ground to mesh over a gal iron fence I have no idea.
>
> That's what I need to find out - how high can the buggers jump
> vertically off the ground? There is plenty of clear space around the
> orchard so they won't be able to jump from another object either.

The usual rule of thumb is "A creature can jump 6 inches higher than the 
fence you erect"

This site has some useful info 
http://treelogic.com.au/facts/2007/11/possums-trees/

"
How far can a possum jump?

The bushy-tailed Brushtails are agile climbers and are able to leap 
significant distances as they traverse the urban forest. The distance they 
can jump is dependent on their take-off platform, whether they can get a 
run-up to it and also how far vertically they need to jump. The more 
vertical the distance they have to cover, the shorter the distance they can 
leap (Cavanagh, 2007).
An agile (young) possum can leap from a fixed, solid base, up to 2.5m 
horizontally or downwards, around 1.2m at an angle of nearly 50� to the 
horizontal (close to optimum of 45�) and with a run-up, 1.7 m upwards at an 
angle of around 18�. Vertical jumping appears to be less than 1m (Cavanagh, 
2007)."



And this site doesn't hold out much hope 
http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2007/may07-1.html but does provide subject matter 
for a blog.



Mike