AN OPOSSUM TAIL IN NYC

It all started with a pink snout poking out from behind the big flowerpot in front of my apartment building door, in the heart of Manhattan. As I leaned in to identify this mysterious creature, a powerful hiss made me catch my breath. No, it wasn’t a feral cat. Its mouth was too big and chock-full of jagged teeth. Its eyes, dark and beady like a giant rat’s. It was cringing, making it hard to suss out the size and shape of its grayish body. Slowly, carefully, peeking through the plant cover, I saw a gray tail, naked and long. Suddenly, I realized with a shock that this was an opossum (aka possum) that somehow wound up cowering at my front door.

Instead of calling 311 for animal control, I called the Wild Bird Fund, a local organization that rescues urban wildlife. The creature looked like it might be ill, and I wanted it cared for, not “taken care of,” aka euthanized. But the WBF had no room for “another opossum”. Apparently, they’re not unusual in NYC parks, although they’re rarely seen. Through the WBF, I was connected to an urban wildlife rescue network. Who knew there was a statewide possum rescue group? How amazing. They even have opossum rescue experts right in the City.

I was reassured by the opossum pros that the animal showing up where it did, and staying there during the day, was not normal behavior. Being nocturnal, it should have run back to the park a few blocks away where it probably lived. They recommended the opossum be captured and checked for lead poisoning, which I learned is common in urban adults. Untreated, it results in confusion, unhealthy behavior, and early death. The rehabbers even have facilities to test for and treat lead poisoning and other illnesses in these shy, tick-eating machines. Fun fact, turns out they can eat over 5,000 ticks, cockroaches, and other insects in a season.

Amanda, a young female opossum specialist, called me to coordinate the rescue just as a downpour started. The poor possum looked so miserable and scared, getting drenched behind that plant. It made me hang tough as I waited in the rain for the rescuer. An Uber dropped Amanda off, and I helped with her gear: an animal carrier, blanket, gloves, and hard plastic sheeting to guide our furry friend into the cage. She was wearing a sassy dress with red rubber boots; not what I was expecting. But once she swung into action, her expertise and experience were obvious. Calmly and confidently, she picked up the opossum from the back, securing its legs and tail as I held the carrier. In seconds, my furry friend was safely inside.

My neighbors followed the opossum’s story with concern and excitement. We named it Sam, since no one knew if it was a male or female. Everyone anxiously waited for each update as they developed. One neighbor I hadn’t met before even gifted me a lovely drawing of a possum family to commemorate the rescue.

According to the opossum’s rescue group, Wild by Nurture, if she hadn’t been brought in, she would’ve died soon due to the high levels of lead in her blood. Since I now knew lead poisoning is a major threat to possums in the city, that was sad but not surprising. What was a surprise, was that my opossum Sam was a mama Samantha, carrying nine babies…in her marsupial pouch. Yes, possums have pouches and are the only marsupials native to North America. I was somewhat embarassed I didn’t know they had pouches, but hey we don’t learn much about wild animals (not to mention plants) in American schools. After nursing for a month in the safety of the rescue center, the gaggle of babies was released in a rural area in upstate New York. The mother was released back into a city park. I was a bit concerned and disappointed about her fate, but the rehabbers explained that because she grew up in an urban environment, she lacked the skills needed to survive in the wild.

I’m grateful this special creature chose our front door as a hideout. We learned so much about her kind, and were able to save a family. I’m also truly thankful for the volunteers and rehab organizations caring for the urban animals that cohabitate with us in this mad city.

Our opossum friend sam, & a few of the 9 babies in her marsupial pouch