REHAB STORIES: OPOSSUM TAIL AMPUTATION

Before After

Meet patient 23-1818, a Virginia Opossum who was found in the pool of a Miramar home. The homeowners noticed he could not get out of the pool and had an injury to his head and tail. Upon admission, the clinic staff cleaned the wounds, gave him fluids, prescribed medication for the swelling, infection, and pain, and planned to remove the necrotic portion of the tail surgically.

Virginia Opossums have a prehensile tail. A prehensile tail is adapted for grasping and wrapping around things like tree limbs. Virginia opossums are agile climbers. Juveniles use their prehensile tail to swing from branches. Adult opossums are too heavy to support their body weight with the tail; however, adults still use their tails to grasp bundles of leaves or bedding material.

Because their tails are so important for getting around, the goal for this patient was to leave as much of his tail as possible. If you're familiar with our organization, you'll know we had an Ambassador Virginia Opossum named Cabbage, who was deemed non-releasable due to not having a tail. He served his community by educating everyone on the local wildlife and how everyone could make a difference. Thankfully, patient 23-1818 has healed and is currently finishing his rehabilitation and is on track to be released into the wild soon.

The Virginia opossum is North America’s only marsupial and is so beneficial for the ecosystem. Did you know that they reduce the spread of Lyme Disease by consuming thousands of ticks each year? They also keep neighborhoods clear of unwanted pests like roaches, mice, and even snakes. On top of all that, they are aiding scientists in producing anti-venom, as they are immune to bites from venomous snakes!