ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – The Wildlife Center in Virginia has welcomed its new ambassador, Connor Gillespie, who joined WFXR in the studio and brought a possum along for the visit.
Possum native species is a marsupial which is about the size of a house cat with shorter legs, naked ears, and a long tail.
The species can be found all over Virginia counties, usually in a wooded area, especially near streams, lakes, and swamps. They use many forms of habitats from residential to forest, but they mainly prefer forests and open woods with small streams.
The possum recently joined the ambassador team but is currently missing a name.
A naming contest fundraiser is happening at wildlifecnter.org. You can pick between the following names:
- Mars
- Cosmos
- Powhatan
The possum was found as a baby in the spring of 2024 and adopted as a pet. The possum then became acclimated with people which can be detrimental for wild animals.
To be released back into the wild, the possum needs to develop the necessary survival skills.
He was taken to the Wildlife Center to be rehabilitated and become an educational animal to teach people about the species.
“It is never a good idea to keep a wild animal as a pet. Usually when people do it’s because people encounter a young animal that they are concerned about, and they have good intentions and try to take care of them,” said Connor. “But over time, it leads to what happened to him, they become habituated to people, they don’t pick up the survival skills and they can even develop medical issues because it is very difficult to care for them.”
The possum developed metabolic bone disease, which means his bones did not form properly because he didn’t get the proper diet. However, the possum is overall very healthy and is now getting the proper diet he needs.
If an animal needs help or is endangered, it is important to contact the wildlife rehabilitation center as there is normally someone managing the phones, said Connor.
To learn more about the species, click here.