Being Hit By A Car Leaves Virginia Opossum With Severe Injuries

The following story was shared with us by Red Creek Wildlife Center in Pennsylvania.

An adult female Virginia opossum arrived in November after being struck by a car. Her condition was poor. She had numerous facial fractures, including three separate fractures to her jaw. She also had a large, deep gash on her abdomen and weakness in her rear legs.

Most animals would not have survived such extreme injuries, but as I examined her, she showed resilience in her eyes that I’ve seen before with this species. If she had the will to try, so did I.

The most significant impasse was securing the jaw so that it could heal. Because of her critical condition, she would most likely not have survived surgery, so we had to creatively devise a splint that would secure the jaw and allow for feeding. As a team, we designed the splint as it was being applied, adjusting as we worked. Once secured, the stabilization and pain meds appeared to give relief, and she relaxed and rested.

Her daily critical care included frequent handling for medications, hand-feeding, and wound care. She could not move her jaw or her tongue, so each feeding had to be intubated. She received EmerAid IC Omnivore several times each day. She became accustomed to the handling and was quite gentle, allowing us to use the tenderness needed to work around such painful and sensitive facial fractures.

We removed the splint three weeks later, and we were delighted to see that she had movement in her tongue and jaw. She continued to receive EmerAid but could now lick the slurry from the tube and swallow it on her own. A week later, she could eat soft foods without our help. Her abdominal injury has completely healed, and her legs were much stronger.

Six months after first being struck by a car, she was released back to the wild.

Photographs of wildlife can be quite misleading. The photo that was taken just prior to release appears as if two souls are sharing a moment. It almost looks as if she is thanking me for helping her.

Everyone present knows the truth, however. In that precious moment captured in time, she is growling and snapping at me. If held a little closer, she would have bitten at my face. Was I hurt or insulted? Not in the least. Her attitude told me several things: that she was still the wild animal that she had always been regardless of the handling, and that she was indeed ready to go. Her ferociousness revealed the health she now experiences, and I knew she would be OK.

I placed her on a nearby log, and she climbed down and walked away. She didn’t take her time, nor did she rush off, and she never looked back. She began immediately following her nose and meandered up the hill.

Thank you, Lafeber. EmerAid sustained this animal for over a month and helped this precious opossum to heal.