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New Zealand, the strange story of the woman held hostage in the house by a possum

Held hostage, in his own house, by an opossum. It happened to a young woman living in Dunedin, New Zealand. She had just parked and was taking bags and packages from the car when the marsupial hit her for the first time.

“I had already put some of my things on the porch and I heard a rustle as I was walking back to the car,” he said. “I thought, ‘How strange,’ and, as I was taking things from the back seat, something went up on my leg. I shrugged it off, thinking it was a cat, and then I saw it was a possum. ‘ And the animal, undeterred, kept trying to attack her. The woman, who grew up on a local farm and was also familiar with possums, took refuge in the house while the animal chased after her. AND, every time she looked out through the glass doors, the animal ran in his direction.

The student, discouraged, he phoned the police, asking for help. When the agents arrived at his home, the opossum came out of the bushes, walked over and climbed onto the leg of one of them. The officer, according to whom it is “an escaped pet or recently separated from its mother,” used his torch light to confuse the opossum and then placed it in a box with dry food. He took him not far away, to Signal Hill, where he was released.

According to veterinarian Rachael Stratton, the animal, more than aggressive, was probably afraid. “The typical attitude of most wild animals would be to run away,” he explained to the British newspaper The Guardian. “But, being an exemplary young man, perhaps it is still learning to manage threats».

Possums, originally from Australia, were first introduced to New Zealand in 1837, to start their fur industry. There, however, I am considered dangerous parasites because, due to their voracious appetite and high rate of reproduction, they provoke severe damage to native flora and fauna. There are an estimated 70 million specimens in New Zealand today.

Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:

Australia, SOS koalas: they are dying out. Is it possible to save them?

Farewell to Patrick, the most famous wombat in the world

Life always wins: Kangaroo Island is reborn 100 days after the last fires

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