Earlier this month, Long Island, New York, animal rescuer Karenlynn Stracher answered a call from the Freeport Police Department. The officer on the line told Stracher about a wild animal who was stranded on a floating dock nearby, unable to move.
As always, Stracher quickly hatched a plan and headed to the scene.
Karenlynn Stracher
The homeowner told Stracher that she’d spotted the animal — an opossum — when her dogs began barking in the direction of the dock. Stracher suspects the opossum had accidentally fallen into the canal, then, unable to scramble up the side, decided to heave himself onto the dock, where he got stuck.
Karenlynn Stracher
“I was really grateful that this woman’s dogs alerted her to his presence,” Stracher told The Dodo. “He probably would have frozen without any shelter.”
Walking down the dock, Stracher found the opossum drenched in water, sleeping in the small patch of sunshine, likely trying to stay warm.
Karenlynn Stracher
Stracher used a large rescue net to secure the opossum, gently tugging him away from the side of the dock before wrapping him in a blanket.
You can watch the rescue unfold in a video here:
The rescuer examined the opossum for injuries and found that he was tired and hypothermic. She brought him to a warm space and gave him a healthy meal and some fresh water. Soon enough, the opossum began to feel like himself again, ready to return to his home in the wild.
Karenlynn Stracher
At dusk that same day, Stracher brought the opossum to a local park. She opened the door on his carrier and watched gratefully as the opossum scurried back into the underbrush.
At last, thanks to the homeowner’s diligence and Stracher’s expertise, the opossum was back where he belonged.
You can keep up with Stracher’s rescues by following her on TikTok. 
Rescuer Assumes They Saved A Sick ‘Opossum’ — Then The Truth Surprises ThemThey weren’t expecting that.