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Commons:Featured picture candidates/Image:Brush tail possum 1.jpg

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Brushtails are another animal which have no survival instincts, they become very tame in camp sites and national parks where they scavenge food off tourists and campers and I have always assumed that this is learned behaviour. But this (completely wild) one ended up letting me get so close that I could have touched it, they are inquisitive and quite inteligent and probably realised that I wasn't going to eat it.

  • They are nocturnal, and their eyes are red and the slightly glazed look seems to be natural as it was in all the photos I took of them
  •   Info That glazed look gives substance to the expression "like a possum in the headlights" :-) --Tony Wills 12:09, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • self nom and   Support --Benjamint444 02:48, 25 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Support --Winiar✉ 19:11, 28 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Support -- Ram-Man 03:05, 29 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Oppose tight composition (ears almost cut), paw is cut in half --Leafnode 08:53, 29 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Oppose framing --Orlovic (talk) 14:05, 29 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Support --Karelj 19:40, 29 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Oppose - Colour of the animal doens't seem right. Please refer to the discussion in Quality Images Candidates - Alvesgaspar 23:11, 29 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Oppose Wrong color, tight framing --Digon3 17:01, 30 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  •   Oppose In the discussion of this and other images at Quality Images Candidates you said "I also had a powerfull torch for focusing, it's light would not show up in the photo but it's eyes would have contracted from having the torch shone in it's face". The glazed look is probably a fear reaction on the animal's part to the bright light. I can't approve of the lack of consideration given to your wild subjects in this and other photos, and I'm opposing on that basis. Your photos would in my view be much better if you kept well back and avoided stressing the subject. Any serious wildlife photographer will always take great care not to intrude, and I'm sorry that you seem to have no qualms. --MichaelMaggs 21:34, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • I found a load of possums eating the garden and they had every opurtunity to run away as I was aproaching, or to climb higher up the tree, I only used the light while taking my photos, I sat with them for about 20 minutes without the torch on waiting for a clear shot of one and they came closer, not in any way disturbed or scared. when the torch was on you could say that it's eyes would contract and it couldn't see anything outside the beam,and so could not run away, but why then did it continue to eat while I was photographing it? and why did it not run away when I turned the torch off? because it was not scared. I think the best sign that an animal is not scared is if it will eat in your presence, it shows they're comfortable with you. I agree with you that animals should not be disturbed, I can see that in nest photography the animal is inclined to stay even when scared and I will not get so close to nests again. your concern for the animals is touching, but I think you have no understanding of these animals. They had every opportunity to run away when the torch was off and instead they inquisitively came closer (I had got my photos by then so I did't reward it with a torch in th face) even after the torch had been on. --Benjamint444 00:05, 2 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Michael Maggs is of course quite justified in his concerns about disturbing the wildlife being photographed, but I think it is misplaced concern regarding brush tailed possums. Yes they are probably wondering what is on the other end of that torch, but they are rather robust beasts, not particularly afraid of people and have been known to make their homes in peoples attics or beneath their houses. If they're in a tree they're usually quite sure of their own security and aren't intimidated by people or dogs. If they get annoyed by you they'll stop eating, climb higher and screech and cackle at you. Theses ones don't look to be worried at all (ok, I'm a bit biased as they are introduced noxious animals around here, with tens of millions chomping their way through our forests every night ;-) --Tony Wills 12:02, 4 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
result: 6 support, 5 oppose, 0 neutral => not featured. Simonizer 07:04, 11 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
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