When Monica, a hospital administrator in Florida, arrived at work this week, she noticed something strange on the sidewalk outside. A wild opossum was moving in tight circles, pacing endlessly as if trapped in a loop.
Concerned, Monica reached out to Elizabeth Azzarello of Little Bit Wildlife Rescue, who immediately drove more than an hour to help.
In the meantime, Monica managed to guide the opossum into a box, while hospital security placed cones around him to keep curious passersby from disturbing the distressed animal.
“He was probably there for a couple of hours,” Azzarello said.
At first, the unusual behavior raised fears that the opossum had suffered a head injury. But when Azzarello examined him, there were no signs of trauma. Instead, she began to suspect something far less dire.
“It had rained heavily the night before,” she explained. “When water gets into their ears, they can develop an ear infection, which can cause vertigo — and that can make them walk in circles.”
Azzarello brought the opossum home, where she started him on antibiotics.
Soon, the turnaround was clear.
“He’s doing great,” she said. “He’s up, eating, and steadily improving.”
If all goes well, the opossum will make a full recovery and be released back into the wild in just a few weeks. But even in his short stay, he’s managed to charm his rescuer.
“I’ve been doing this for years,” Azzarello said. “And he’s the cutest opossum I’ve ever seen.”
For more information about Little Bit Wildlife Rescue, and to find out how you can help, visit their website here.
