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Animal Rescue Holds Tiny Surprises  Dr. Carrie Allen checks to make sure Mama Possum is healthy Our animal rescue team got more than they bargained for when they rescued a trapped opossum on Friday, June 1st. Our animal rescue team got more than they bargained for when they rescued a trapped opossum on Friday, June 1st. Elise Ramsey got a call that an opossum was trapped with her head wedged in the bottom of a gate. She had been there overnight, despite trying to dig a hole to free herself.
Elise says, "As I placed her in the crate I saw several feet and tails sticking out of her pouch!" The trapped opossum was a mama, and had seven fat, healthy babies! Because Mama Possum needed to be sedated for her examination, each of the babies needed to be removed from the pouch so they wouldn't be exposed to the sedative. One of our vets, Dr. Carrie Allen, made sure she hadn't sustained any injuries during her ordeal. Fortunately, mom was healthy and soon reunited with her babies, a few of which quickly climbed back into her pouch! Mama and babies are all doing well after being transferred to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Opossums are fascinating animals!Did you know that opossums: 
Keep in mindElise wants to remind everyone that in Michigan it is illegal to keep or rehabilitate wildlife unless you are licensed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a wildlife rehabilitator. If you see a sick or injured wild animal, it's very important that you leave it alone if at all possible, and under no circumstances offer the animal food or drink unless told to do so by a licensed rehabilitator. You can contact our Cruelty & Rescue department at 734-661-3512, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The HSHV Cruelty & Rescue team is now on Twitter! Follow them and be the first to hear about stories like these! |
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Elise was able to free her with a little bit of wiggling, but since the opossum had been trapped for so long, Elise wanted to make certain the animal was healthy before freeing her.