Henry was brought to me and my son Adam, who holds a Virginia rehabilitaors permit as well, on April 26, 2014. He traveled to us all the way from North Carolina. A contractor who had been working on my home found him in the yard of his Moyok, N.C. home. The mother had been killed and there was no sign of any other babies. Poor Henry was found wandering the yard by himself.
Upon his arrival to us, he was completely infested with fleas, but otherwise was in excellent health.
Henry loved to be held and cuddled as a baby, and his initial time with us was spent reassuring him that he was safe and in good company, and that we were here to help him. There reaches a time however, as all rehabilitators are aware, when the cuddling has to discontinue. It is a bittersweet time, because while the animal may still be quite small, friendly, and cuddle able, the animals need to cultivate a fear of humans for the animal's own safety and well being for when they are released.
Henry still received plenty of love and care as he grew. He was fed the finest yogurt, fruits, vegetables, eggs and chicken. Opossums in captivity need to be fed a very strict diet consisting of a very specific ratio of protein, calcium, phosphorus, and fruit. Opossums in captivity are highly prone to metabolic bone disease, which develops from an improper ratio of the foods mentioned, and can render them unreleasable if the disease progresses too far. Fortunately, this was not an issue with Henry. He was healthy and strong!
Over the next 2 months Henry thrived with us. Once he reached the size and age when he was determined to be releasable, he was moved to a large outdoor enclosure where he acclimated to the sights and sounds of the wide wild world. On June 28, 2014 Henry was released in the Great Dismal Swamp. We are fortunate to have friends and fellow rehabbers whose back yard property runs right into the Great Dismal Swamp. This is truly a wonderful and safe habitat for our orphaned critters to be released into. It is habitat free from traffic and with minimal human interference, and an ample source of food. It is truly a critters heaven.
Henry was released at dusk, as opossums are most active in the evening hours. He was brought to the woods in a smaller cage for transport ,complete with one of the cloth pouches that is used in most critters housing for them to sleep in. I removed the top off the cage and allowed him to leave on him own time table. He certainly took his time. He decided to play and roll around in the cloth pouch for close to 15 minutes. When he finally tired of his antics with the pouch, he walked off to explore one of the outdoor rehabilitation enclosures nearby. As the dark descended upon us all in the forest, Henry decided to amble off into the woods. It is with tears of joy that we bid Henry farewell, along with our best wishes to him for a long and healthy life in the wild!
If you should encounter baby wildlife, please do not offer it food or water. The wrong food can cause serious digestive problems and a hungry baby is more apt to cry for it's mother and she will be able to find it more easily. Please call the organization which I am associated with for immediate advice:
Evelyn's Wildlife Refuge (757) 430-2886
Thank you for taking the time to read about another of my successful rehabilitation and release stories. I welcome your comments!
Saving wildlife one tail at a time ~ Kim Johnson