Species: Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Intake Date: May 18, 2022
Petunia, our late resident Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), arrived at the Wildlife Medical Clinic from Champaign, IL on May 18, 2022, as a joey. A good Samaritan rescued her and her siblings after their mother was hit by a car. While her siblings were able to be transferred to a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator to be released, Petunia stayed behind because she was smaller than her siblings and was missing her left eye. Based on her age, her missing eye was most likely a birth defect, not an injury. In any case, it left her vulnerable to predation and affected her depth perception, making her unlikely to survive in the wild. Due to her young age and good health, she was selected to become a Wildlife Ambassador. At the Wildlife Medical Clinic, she was initially fed several times a day with formula, then transitioned onto solid food when she was old enough, all while being acclimated to spending time around humans. Petunia’s trainers worked with her daily to ensure she was comfortable with her training and basic behaviors such as standing on the scale for weighing, wearing a harness and leash for walks, and some handling for veterinary checks and routine nail trims. Petunia also went for daily walks, which was great for preparing her for outreach events. Petunia was very comfortable at outreach events and did an excellent job of representing her wild counterparts and showing the importance of opossums in the environment. While opossums in the wild rarely live more than two years, 2025 marked her third year in our ambassador program. In the spring of 2025, we noticed significant changes to her mobility and quality of life. Over the summer she also started to develop issues with her remaining eye. While we were able to medically manage her case for some time, this fall the difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize her. Petunia had a long and happy three and a half years with us where she had the pleasure of educating the public about her species and helping to dispel common myths associated with Virginia Opossums. She connected with many people along the way and showed us how awesome opossums really are and how important they are in the environment. We at the WMC are grateful for the time we had with Petunia and all she taught us. Her absence in the ambassador building is felt by all.