By Joanna Fitzgerald | Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital

A litter of orphan opossums eagerly eat the diet offered by Wildlife Hospital staff.

Six Virginia opossums were among the 61 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week.

The six opossums were admitted after being found in their dead mother’s pouch along a busy road in East Naples. The baby opossums, known as joeys, were responsive but cold so all were quickly placed in an animal intensive care unit for warmth.

Once warmed, all six joeys were examined and found to be in good body condition; none had suffered any injuries in the car strike that killed their mother. The babies were started on a dilute milk replacement formula. Due to their young age, six feedings throughout the day and night are required.

Opossums are marsupials; their babies are not fully developed when they are born. The dime-size joeys crawl into their mother’s pouch where they suckle her milk and continue to grow.

Please, if you find an opossum that has been killed, check to see if it was a mother with live babies in her pouch. If you see live babies, place the mom opossum in a box and bring her and the babies to the wildlife hospital. Hospital staff will thoroughly examine the mother opossum to ensure all babies have been retrieved from her pouch.

Another way to prevent injury to wildlife is to slow down when driving, especially at night. Being alert and aware that nocturnal animals may be in search of nesting sites, mates and food may help you avoid hitting an animal attempting to cross the road.

Recent Releases

A fox squirrel, three mourning doves, a marsh rabbit, three eastern cottontails, two eastern screech owls, two gray catbirds, a broad-winged hawk, a blue jay and a juvenile bald eagle were released this past week.

Opportunities to Help

Please visit the Conservancy website at www.conservancy.org to view all of the amazing volunteer opportunities at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Volunteers help in many different capacities and are vital to the success of our work. One area we are in constant need of volunteers is the evening shift. The shift runs from 5pm to 9pm; if you think you could dedicate one evening a week to help in the hospital, contact our volunteer office and get involved. Your volunteer time, donations, and memberships truly help us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future.