Marianne and Princess, the Opossum, before the release.
Marianne, an adult resident of Latham Centers, has volunteered for many years at the Cape Wildlife Center. She thrives when working with animals, and has truly become a nurturer. Below is a story composed by Marianne herself, after releasing Princess into the wild.
One day a baby opossum was brought to the Wildlife Center. She was called an orphan there. An orphan means that the baby opossum didn’t have a mother. She was grey and white with a pink nose.I was her primary caregiver there. I used to feed her and clean her cage. She ate all soft foods like a baby would. It was rolled oaks, and cheerios soaked in formula. She liked to be held and loved to snuggle under my chin.
“Oh My,” I said, “I think I should give her a name.”
The first name that came to me was Princess. When I called her Princess she would look at me and snuggle even closer. I was so glad she liked the name I picked out for her.Opossums sleep all day and stay awake all night. At Princess’s bedtime she would go into her bed which was a soft blue pouch.Week after week Princess was getting bigger and bigger. She started eating different foods. She loved apples and grapes. It was time for Princess to start living outside. But she still was not ready to go.There was a cage all ready for her. Inside of it there was a little house, and a branch for her to climb on. Princess moved outside and she loved it there.When I would go and visit her she used to come close to me and put her paws up on the side to of the cage to say hi. I couldn’t hold Princess anymore for she needed to stay wild. That is the only way to make sure that Princess would be able to survive in the woods.The day finally came for Princess to go to her real home. It was a beautiful place. It had woods, a stream, and lots of trees and bushes. Princess was finally there. She walked out from her travelling cage and started to walk towards a large tree that was perfect for her new home.
All of a sudden she turned around and put her nose against my hand. She looked up at me as if to say, “Thanks for taking care of me, Mom, I guess I can go on my way. It’s safe here. Goodbye.”
It was certain the Princess liked her new home. As each leaf rustled under her feet and long tail, she finally was where she belonged.
