COPIAGUE, NY (May 14, 2023) — A mother opossum and her babies got an unexpected ride on April 17 when they crawled into the engine compartment of an electric car at a dealership in Suffolk County.
The opossums were discovered by employees and mechanics at the dealership, who called a wildlife rehabilitator and an environmental conservation officer from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for help.
Opossums are North America’s only marsupials and can have up to 12 babies that cling to their mother until they become too big to hold on. This lucky opossum family had four babies, all healthy and unharmed.
The mechanics assisted by putting the car on a lift and removing the skid plates and guards so ECO Dickson and the wildlife rehabilitator could safely remove the mother and babies.
The opossums were transported to a wildlife center, where they will receive care and monitoring until they can be released to the wild.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/14/2023
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