Opossum Freed from Wire Trap: Patient 23-1488

Virginia Opossums are common backyard visitors, but seeing one wrapped up in a trap can be quite the surprise.

Let us introduce patient 23-1488. This poor Virginia Opossum was found in Mechanicsburg after her finder, Lauren, noticed her struggling with a wire trap around her body. The poor girl had been stuck for hours with the wire cutting into her sides and stomach.

As soon as she arrived at our center, our team immediately removed the wire and began cleaning the wounds. Her wounds were deep and clearly infected so we started her on pain medication and antibiotics right away.

The wire may have be removed, but patient 23-1488's healing journey was far from over. For the next month we performed daily wound care: we cleaned the wounds and removed any pus or dead tissue before applying antibiotic ointment. Patient 23-1488 was surprisingly tolerant for her treatments, but as time went on her increasingly spunky behavior let us know when she was feeling better.

Once her wounds had healed, she spent some time in an outdoor enclosure before her release. Her road to recovery was long, but rewarding.

Let Patient 23-1488 remind you that traps of any kind are indiscriminate and can cause problems for all living creatures. While we do not know where the wire trap was set or why, we do know it caused unnecessary pain and suffering for this poor gal.