A few months ago, a resident of a Sydney, Australia, suburb noticed a baby ringtail possum inside their bedroom. The homeowners had no idea how the possum got inside, but suspected she may have been carried in by their cat.
The homeowners, concerned for the possum’s safety, called WIRES, an Australian wildlife rescue organization. While they waited for the rescuers to arrive, they lost track of the possum’s whereabouts.
When the WIRES rescuers arrived, they looked everywhere for the possum. They checked under the bed, under the pillows, under the chairs and in every single pocket in every piece of clothing in the closet. The very last place they checked was the bedside table drawer.
WIRES
“[T]here it was, a little juvenile ringtail possum curled up in a compartment,” WIRES emergency responder Rachel told The Dodo.
Terrified and disoriented, the baby had tucked herself away in a spot she’d hoped would be safe.
WIRES
“It must [have] crawled underneath the cabinet looking for a space to shelter and then made its way up [via] the space at the back of the drawers,” Rachel said.
Rachel gently transferred the tiny animal into a woolen pouch and placed her in a travel carrier. She then conducted a thorough search for the possum’s mom, but didn’t have any luck finding her.
Rachel transferred the juvenile to a WIRES volunteer possum carer named Kris. Kris was relieved to find that the possum was uninjured and healthy, even after her encounter with the cat. Still, this baby’s story serves as a great reminder to keep cats indoors or in secure outdoor areas.
WIRES
“She was remarkably calm following her ordeal and just wanted somewhere warm to curl up and sleep,” Kris told The Dodo.
Kris decided to name the possum Libby after Liberty Grove, the area she was rescued from. For eight weeks, Kris cared for Libby, feeding her lots of fresh leaves from surrounding native shrubs.
WIRES
“I soon buddied her up with two other orphaned possums around the same age, and they slept together in a homemade possum drey,” Libby said. A possum drey is a ball of sticks and branches used by possums as a nest.
Once Libby was strong enough to survive on her own, Kris knew it was time for her to be released into the wild she calls home.
WIRES
“[It] was fabulous to see her scamper back into the familiar habitat where she belongs — she didn’t even give a backward glance,” Kris said.
If you’d like to support WIRES, you can make a donation here.
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