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9:11 p.m. - 2004-05-02
Poor little possum
I spent much of today looking for a small, green, plastic Popsicle charm. I know it's somewhere on my charm platter, but I just can't find the dang thing.

It's for a part of the piece I'm working on. It's a part that illustrates the importance of good nutrition. This was going to be about the four food groups, but, in the two and a half years since I first proposed the piece, I've become even more of a rampant animal lover, and the idea of illustrating meat and dairy is really bothering me. So this part now illustrates fruits and vegetables and grains and beans.

And desserts. Thus, the Popsicle.

****************************

It was a sad day, kinda'. This morning I looked out the window to see a big Mamma possum wandering across our backyard. She looked extremely focused, for a possum.

They always have that sort of stoned look, y'know?

Anyway, she had a bunch of babies on her back, and so I yelled for Bruce to come see. As we watched her, she kept returning to a spot next to the detached garage. She was sniffing a greyish lump on the ground.

"Maybe it's one of the babies." suggested Bruce. "It could have come off her back and not been able to get back on."

"That seems too big for a baby. I'm gonna' go look." I pulled on some socks and my shoes and went out the back door.

Mamma Possum was still sitting next to the greyish lump. It wasn't one of her babies, but instead was an adult possum, somewhat smaller than she was. It was barely breathing.

Mamma looked up at me, and I would swear she looked pleading. I wondered if the sick possum was a teenaged child of hers, or maybe her mate. I realised I knew nothing about possum social structure or behaviour. I wanted to cry.

All my instincts told me that the sick one was pretty much done for, but I felt I had to give it the ol' college try for Mamma's sake. I went in and got Bruce. Together we got the sick possum into a cardboard box full of hay and moved him into the detached garage. I put some cat food and some water next to him, and went in to call Wildlife Rescue.

The woman who answered was Jennifer, the same woman who took my call about the squirrels a few months ago. She listened to my story and asked a bunch of questions.

"I'm sorry." she finally said, very gently. "From what you're telling me it sounds like he ate a poisoned mouse. It happens pretty frequently. It really sounds like he's near the end, but you could try syringing some universal rehydrating fluid into him. If he seems to revive at all, start giving apple juice, it'll help get rid of the poison. But it sounds like he's not going to live long. It sounds pretty bad."

Jennifer also told me that possums are not aggressive, and that wildlife rescuers who handle them routinely don't often even wear gloves. She also explained Mamma's behaviour.

"That's not her child or her mate, most likely. She may not even know that possum. It's just that female possums are extremely motherly. They'll mother anything. They routinely adopt orphaned possum babies, even if they have their own pouchful. And they'll hover over another sick possum. We often get reports of sick possums that were discovered because a female possum was hovering. It's just what they do."

Dang it. That was so sweet it made me cry. Who says animals have no emotions?

I went back out and syringed some fluids into the sick one. He managed a weak hissing noise, but put up no struggle. His breathing was so shallow.

When I went back out a half hour later, he was gone.

Bruce and I buried him under the magnolia tree. I dropped a rose and some white clover into the grave. Bruce put in a flower from one of the azaleas.

Now I'm just kicking myself. I should have given him a hot water bottle. I should have massaged him to get his circulation going. I should have wiped his gums with the fluids, in case he couldn't swallow.

I think it wouldn't have mattered. I think he really was on his last legs. And at least he didn't die on the cold, wet ground.

Sigh. I love our little wildlife sanctuary, but it has it's sad moments. I guess I need to learn something about wildlife rescue.

You know, in my spare time.

(Rolls eyes.)


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