ROANOKE, Va. – A baby Virginia opossum that lost her tail after a traumatic start in life is getting a second chance — not in the wild, but as an animal ambassador at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center.
The young opossum arrived at the center as part of a group of joeys. Her siblings chewed off part of her tail, and the remainder had to be surgically removed by the center’s veterinarian, Dr. Karen, according to Executive Director Chester Leonard.
Without a tail, the opossum cannot be released into the wild, Leonard said. Instead, she will remain at the center and help educate the public about opossums and their role in the environment…