Hi AVB,
Gadge if you only how much rotten meats American possums eat you would even think about eating one. They do have their place in our eco system just like the rest of the scavengers but they do however become a problem at times. Here I live animal trap them whenever I can and relocate 20+ miles away. They usually become roadkill before they can make it back.
Aussie possums [the large brushtail ones are those that are causing NormK grief] don't eat carrion AFAIK, but are fairly omnivorous. They certainly love fruits!
https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/managing-wildlife/possumsOddly enough, people have no problems with eating free-range chooks [chickens], and they are scavengers of the highest order - they can and do eat some nasty stuff. Same in the marine environment - e.g. crabs and lobsters are essentially scavengers, not predators.
A friend of mine keeps chooks, and her bloke threw a skinned red fox carcass into the chookyard one day - and the chooks and rooster cleaned that up in short order!
