SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — This summer, a Bay Area wildlife rescue made headlines for an unusual request: foster parents for baby opossums.
The story went viral, drawing tens of thousands of likes and shares, and hundreds of volunteers eager to help.
Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue says the response was overwhelming, in the best way.
“Thanks to your story, we had a lot of people apply to be opossum fosters,” said founder Lila Travis. “So many people applied, actually, that we still haven’t been able to process all the applications, because we’re all volunteers.”
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The Oakland Ballers baseball team even joined in, helping to foster five opossums and releasing them back into the wild.
“He signed on right away to help his fellow opossum babies, because, you know, he was orphaned too,” Travis said.
But while the opossums found homes, the rescue itself is now in trouble.
This year, Yggdrasil cared for more than 850 animals, up from 600 to 700 on the average year. Donations are also down and grants are going away after a foundation essential to the rescue shut down.
“So this year, we had the most number of animals and the least amount of donations, because it’s a hard world right now,” Travis said.
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The nonprofit isn’t asking the city for funding, just assistance to find a permanent facility.
It’s also planning an emergency fundraiser this spring to keep operations going. Next year marks its 25th anniversary.
“I’m hoping that will fund the spring baby season and get us to where we need to be to have a good 2026, which again, that’s our 25th year in operation. We’re hoping to celebrate,” Travis said.
Yggdrasil hopes the community that stepped up for opossums will do so again — for opossums, squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife in need.
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