Two animal resource officers in Georgia were called into action after a concerned resident found a baby opossum having difficulty on his property.
According to The Sanford Herald, the tiny marsupial was entangled in the netting around his pond in Chatham County. The officers freed the opossum and brought it to a nearby rehabilitation center, where it's expected to make a full recovery and be released into the wild.
Opossums are North America's only marsupial and should not be mistaken for the similarly named possums found in the land Down Under. The American opossum is a highly adaptable creature that benefits the local ecosystem in various ways. It is a natural scavenger, and it covers a wide range. It has an exceptionally short gestation period of just 13 days.
Once the joey outgrows its mother's pouch, it hitches a ride on mama's back to gain firsthand experience foraging for food. It's common for the little guys to fall off and make their own way in the world, like a natural dispersal system. Those that stick around will leave of their own accord after about four months, per the Opossum Society of the United States.
Despite what well-meaning memes often shared on social media say, they don't actually feast on thousands of ticks per season. The "5,000 ticks a season" myth was based on the observed grooming habits of opossums in captivity. A 2021 study debunked that claim after analyzing the stomachs of 32 specimens.
The problem with misinformation like the tick myth is that it could lead to homeowners seeking to attract opossums to their property under the misguided belief they'll help with tick control. Like all wild animals, they should be left to forage in peace and not be fed.
The homeowner in the story is a good example of a community member taking appropriate local action. The animal was removed from harm with minimal disruption and will soon be back in the wild to forage. As Caitlin Cade, one of the officers involved in the rescue, said:
"A little compassion goes a long way, and now this young opossum has a great shot at a full recovery and release."
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