“[I]t looked so very doubtful when we first got the call.”
When the Sydney Wildlife Rescue (SWR) staff received a call about a possum in a garbage bin last month, they initially didn’t anticipate a difficult rescue. However, upon arrival, they quickly realized the situation was more challenging than expected.
“Our members are often faced with challenging, distressing, and seemingly impossible rescue situations,” SWR wrote on Facebook. “A ‘possum in a bin’ call-out doesn’t sound like one of these situations — until you get there.”
When the SWR rescuers arrived at the scene of a distress call about a possum trapped in a garbage bin, they expected a straightforward rescue. However, they were taken aback to find the situation much more serious than anticipated.
“The brushtail possum had managed to wedge herself tightly into a drainage hole at the bottom of the dumpster,” SWR recounted. “Despite her determined efforts, she couldn’t maneuver herself free.”
“The struggle had taken a toll on her,” SWR continued. “She had worn off fur around her neck in her attempts to escape, leaving it raw and bleeding.”
The rescuer grabbed a bottle of olive oil and carefully applied it around the possum’s neck. Unfortunately, the olive oil didn’t yield the desired results, and lacking proper tools to cut through the dumpster’s thick plastic shell, she called local emergency services for additional assistance, growing increasingly anxious with each passing minute.
“She thought the chances of a happy ending were slim,” SWR recounted. “Then, in the distance, the wail of a siren approached, and a fire truck roared onto the scene with four firefighters from the Crows Nest Fire Brigade.”
Without hesitation, the firefighters leaped into action. As the SWR rescuer steadied the possum from behind within the dumpster, the firefighters skillfully began cutting through the plastic enclosure.
The firefighters carefully removed a wedge of plastic around the possum’s neck, and within moments, the distressed girl was freed. The SWR rescuer gently cradled the possum in her arms, swiftly loading her into the van and driving to the center’s mobile care unit.
After surviving such a harrowing ordeal, the veterinary team breathed a sigh of relief to find that the possum’s injuries, though severe, were treatable. They cleaned her wounds, settled her into a cozy habitat, and administered medication to kickstart her healing journey.
“For a couple of days following the rescue, she was understandably in shock,” SWR shared. “But soon after, she settled down and began enjoying the daily delivery of foliage as she continued to recover from the ordeal.”
A few weeks later, the possum had regained her strength and was ready to return to the wild. After assessing her original habitat and confirming the garbage bin had been securely sealed, the rescuers decided it was safe to bring her back home.
Using a “possum catcher,” a tube-like device made from two planter pots, the rescuers gently returned the possum to her familiar environment. Her joy at being back was evident.
“[She] slowly poked her head out and sniffed the air,” SWR recounted. “She must’ve recognized she was home because she then climbed steadily up the branch, paused, and looked back as if to say, ‘Are you coming with me?’ before darting off into the darkness.”