13 opossums made their way back into the wild in the last two weeks. It's the most nerve wracking aspect of the rehabilitation process for me- did I provide them the opportunities for skill acquisition, has their nutrition been balanced, are they curious or scared? I want to set them all up for success and it isn't an overnight endeavor. I always worry.
The Junebugs were released on a lovely creek that flows eventually into the Broad river. They have a huge territory available to them. In their case we camped out overnight to do a form of soft release where they could venture out while we remained, and feel more confident about it. In the wild, they usually leave Mom one by one, gradually, not all at once. Many get to leave when they are ready, or on their own terms. So soft release is a way we can replicate that. Rarely am I able to do something as elaborate as an overnight camping release!
The other litter of seven were released about 90 minutes away from the first in the best spot I know. At a creek off a dirt road that leads to a protected natural area, with no hunting, no fast cars, and no surprise dogs. They can wander for their entire lives and never see a person.
On October 4th, the Gwaltney Family drove up from Atlanta to help clean, move, repair and help out with as much work as I could possibly find for the four of them to do! They were incredibly kind and energetic and I am grateful to have met them. I wish I had thought to get photos and I hope they can return. I could not do this without the help of my regular and one-time volunteers. It’s not called the Suzie DeGrasse House of Opossumage, it really is a group effort. Felix and Johan built two vestibules on the enclosures, something I have been wanting to do for years but never found anyone interested in doing so. Finding a good carpenter is crucial when running a full rescue. Cages aren’t enough! Eventually as time permits, all 5 enclosures will have the vestibules, which allow me to enter without giving them the opportunity to run out. I don’t remember a time when anyone actually escaped but I have had to grab quite a few as they made a run for it. The other news if I finally had my rabies vaccine titer test run so I can go mist netting with the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network in early November! I will have more release photos and updates soon. Thanks for reading!
2025 Sabbatical