Injured And Debilitated Virginia Opossum Gets Help To Recover

The following story was shared with us by the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Center in Pennsylvania.

Virginia opossums are Pennsylvania’s only marsupial, and they play many important ecological roles — including cleaning up ticks and scavenging old meat to clean up the environment! Pennsylvania is the northernmost range of Virginia opossums, and winter can be tough on these guys. While they have a beautiful fur coat, their ears, toes, and sensitive tails do not have fur and are prone to cold-related injuries, such as frostbite.

The young male opossum pictured here arrived at Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh’s Wildlife Center and was treated for trauma, frostbite, a bacterial infection, and being underweight and dehydrated. He was found in a snow pile near the side of the road by a kind passerby. He received a diet with EmerAid IC Omnivore prior to a normal adult opossum diet, which is vital for the recovery process.

He recovered fully and was released back to his home territory once the weather warmed up a bit.