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Woman Takes Care Of Orphaned Opossum, And Now It Refuses To Be Released Back Into The Wild
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Woman Takes Care Of Orphaned Opossum, And Now It Refuses To Be Released Back Into The Wild

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When Sheri Kassalias agreed to nurse an orphaned opossum named Opie back to health until he is self-sufficient enough to be raised in the wild, the woman had no idea she would end up keeping the animal. “Opie was so sweet he demanded to be held. He climbed up my sleeve,” Kassalias, who works as an opossum and dog rescuer, told The Dodo. The opossum even began licking and grooming the woman, demonstrating a cat-like affectionate behaviour known as ‘slubbing’. While she released two other opossums she was fostering at the time, the woman knew what to do when it came to Opie…

Kassalias would have had to completely cut off all contact with Opie to make sure he is still releasable, but she chose to commit to keeping the animal forever.

Today Opie is a family member, sharing his owner’s South Carolina home with her husband, her two dogs, a 25-year-old tortoise named Bubba and a foster canine. Besides, Opie is registered with the USDA so that he can help his human mom educate kids about the the brilliant animals that opossums are. “He is an amazing ambassador,” says Kassalias.

More info: Facebook (h/t: thedodo)

Meet Opie, the orphaned opossum who found a loving forever home with humans

Sheri Kassalias planned to nurse Opie back to health until he is ready be raised in the wild

“Opie was so sweet he demanded to be held. He climbed up my sleeve”

The opossum even began licking and grooming the woman like a cat would

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Rescuer would have had to completely cut off all contact with Opie to make sure he is releasable

But she chose to commit to keeping the animal forever. “So here we are almost two years later”

Today Opie is a family member, sharing his owner’s home with her husband and other pets

Opie helps his human mom educate kids about opossums

“He is an amazing ambassador”

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forpatches avatar
Cheryl Fontaine
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hooray! I am so happy she is using Opie to teach people about possums. They are utterly harmless, carry no diseases, and eat slug and grubs

southpaw67 avatar
Conor Gilmartin
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Diseases carried by possums include; tularemia, salmonella, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis. Infected animals may transmit leptospirosis to humans and other animals through their urine and faeces. Rabies is rare in opossums since they have some immunity to the virus. Pets, horses and other wildlife are also at risk for disease infection associated with opossums.

Load More Replies...
phillipeknippel avatar
Phillipe Knippel
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am a biologist here inRio, and I raised a lot of babies oposum, and yeah, you need to be careful or they end like a dog.

jlk103144 avatar
John L
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As we learn more about wild critters, through places like the internet, the more we learn that there are a percentage of them that are predisposed to be tame around humans. And it is possible to take a small percentage of them and actually breed them as tame little children.

cathyshift avatar
Cathy Shift
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

no good deed goes... nope i'm still going to have to go with rewarded.

lizalexander avatar
Liz Alexander
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worry about this and stories like this. I picture a LOT of incidences of people going out into the woods, attempting to capture and "domesticate" a wild possum, and getting very, very hurt because of it. I don't understand why people think this is okay. This isn't okay, unless you're a wildlife expert and you fully understand and accept the risk that the thing may turn on you eventually. It's not a domesticated dog or cat. You can't take the wild out of him; you can only tame it for so long. Eventually, the wild side WILL need to be addressed......

jazmynbjaz avatar
Jazmyn B (Jaz)
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aw!! I can just see hate coming for keeping a wild animal but Opie has grown to this family and he is now technically a domesticated possum, it would actually be cruel to expect him to survive in the wild again.

dfrykenberg3 avatar
James Cruikshank
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a happy looking possum! Thank you for taking care of him. :)

dfrykenberg3 avatar
James Cruikshank
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a happy looking possum! Thank you for taking care of him. :)

ianosmond avatar
Ian Osmond
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, fine. There exists ONE non-disgusting opossum in the world.

melissa_9 avatar
Melissa Nunya
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Love that they made a lifetime commitment once they realized he wasn't going to be releasable

marcello159 avatar
Naphen Smiles
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He kinda cute , but still looks like a rat with that tail . N people who have rats as pets creep me the duckk out

forpatches avatar
Cheryl Fontaine
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hooray! I am so happy she is using Opie to teach people about possums. They are utterly harmless, carry no diseases, and eat slug and grubs

southpaw67 avatar
Conor Gilmartin
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Diseases carried by possums include; tularemia, salmonella, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis. Infected animals may transmit leptospirosis to humans and other animals through their urine and faeces. Rabies is rare in opossums since they have some immunity to the virus. Pets, horses and other wildlife are also at risk for disease infection associated with opossums.

Load More Replies...
phillipeknippel avatar
Phillipe Knippel
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am a biologist here inRio, and I raised a lot of babies oposum, and yeah, you need to be careful or they end like a dog.

jlk103144 avatar
John L
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As we learn more about wild critters, through places like the internet, the more we learn that there are a percentage of them that are predisposed to be tame around humans. And it is possible to take a small percentage of them and actually breed them as tame little children.

cathyshift avatar
Cathy Shift
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

no good deed goes... nope i'm still going to have to go with rewarded.

lizalexander avatar
Liz Alexander
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worry about this and stories like this. I picture a LOT of incidences of people going out into the woods, attempting to capture and "domesticate" a wild possum, and getting very, very hurt because of it. I don't understand why people think this is okay. This isn't okay, unless you're a wildlife expert and you fully understand and accept the risk that the thing may turn on you eventually. It's not a domesticated dog or cat. You can't take the wild out of him; you can only tame it for so long. Eventually, the wild side WILL need to be addressed......

jazmynbjaz avatar
Jazmyn B (Jaz)
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aw!! I can just see hate coming for keeping a wild animal but Opie has grown to this family and he is now technically a domesticated possum, it would actually be cruel to expect him to survive in the wild again.

dfrykenberg3 avatar
James Cruikshank
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a happy looking possum! Thank you for taking care of him. :)

dfrykenberg3 avatar
James Cruikshank
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a happy looking possum! Thank you for taking care of him. :)

ianosmond avatar
Ian Osmond
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, fine. There exists ONE non-disgusting opossum in the world.

melissa_9 avatar
Melissa Nunya
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Love that they made a lifetime commitment once they realized he wasn't going to be releasable

marcello159 avatar
Naphen Smiles
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He kinda cute , but still looks like a rat with that tail . N people who have rats as pets creep me the duckk out

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