“He’s the cutest opossum I’ve ever seen.”
Earlier this week, a Florida hospital administrator named Monica encountered an unexpected situation outside her workplace. On the sidewalk, a wild animal was visibly distressed—an opossum endlessly pacing in tight circles.
Concerned for the creature’s welfare, Monica reached out to Elizabeth Azzarello from Little Bit Wildlife Rescue. Despite being over an hour away, Azzarello quickly made her way to assist.
“He had probably been there for a few hours,” Azzarello told The Dodo. “[Monica] managed to get him into a box, and the hospital’s security team placed cones around him to keep him safe.”
When Azzarello arrived, her initial fear was that the opossum’s unusual behavior might stem from a brain injury, possibly due to an accident. However, closer examination ruled that out.
“He hadn’t been hit by anything,” Azzarello explained. “There were no signs of trauma.”
Given the heavy rain the night before, Azzarello suspected another issue—a possible ear infection caused by water entering the opossum’s ears. Such infections can lead to symptoms resembling vertigo, which could explain the circular movements.
Under Azzarello’s care, the opossum showed significant improvement in just a few days.
“He’s doing fantastic,” she said. “He’s eating well, which is always a promising sign.”
Azzarello is hopeful the opossum will fully recover within a few weeks and return to the wild. But his charm hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“After all these years,” Azzarello shared, “he’s definitely the cutest opossum I’ve ever encountered.”