Possum found in Hobart Airport gift shop soft toy section

[Bretrick]

A real possum nestled among soft toys and animals in a gift shop has thrilled passengers and given airport staff something unusual to deal with in Hobart.

Liam Bloomfield, multi-site manager with Lagardere AWPL, at Hobart's airport in Cambridge, said staff members found the possum around 11.45am on Wednesday.

"We found the possum sitting within the native plush," he said.

"It looked like he was pretty comfortable with his friends there."
Mr Bloomfield said the animal "was not stressed" and appeared calm — with things becoming much less calm after the animal left the store, going on a tour of the airport.
"We had passengers here, there and everywhere, taking videos," he said.

"It was a bit of a mad rush to make sure it was safe, and no passengers were disrupted and that the possum got back home."
Mr Bloomfield said the real possum was "safely escorted" out of the terminal by Hobart Airport management.

He said how the possum got into the airport building was "a true mystery", but speculated it could be because of "redevelopment works" that are currently underway.

He described the possum's visit as a "nice little spike of happiness" during a normal day's airport business.

Short video attached to the link
Possum found in Hobart Airport gift shop soft toy section

 

[GoodEnuff]

Possums, IMHO, are just nasty animals. We had one in our garage when I was a kid; it had shat all over the place. Dad managed to get it out.

One night years ago, I noticed what I thought was a cat on our back porch. I opened the door to give it some food. Was eyeball to eyeball with a possum. Yikes!

 

[Messy]

Possums, IMHO, are just nasty animals. We had one in our garage when I was a kid; it had shat all over the place. Dad managed to get it out.

One night years ago, I noticed what I thought was a cat on our back porch. I opened the door to give it some food. Was eyeball to eyeball with a possum. Yikes!

 

[Imogene]

Wellllll, hats off to all those folks who don’t know straight up about those “ cUte” little things..

Th Hobart opossum looks innocent enough only because it looks like a young one.

That stupid girl in @Messy ’s video is probably hanging onto a diseased one, since it was “drooling all over the place”. At least the boyfriend had enough sense to tell her she couldn’t keep it.

Anyone can google “diseases opossums carry” and get a number of hits for human diseases.

They also carry EPM which can be devastating to horses and is often fatal to them.

“Opossum are the primary definitive host for the protozoan parasite (Sarcocystis neurona) that causes Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses. Opossums shed the parasite in their feces, which can contaminate horse feed, water, or hay, causing neurological disease in horses that ingest it, notes the University of Minnesota Extension and Leatherstocking Veterinary Group. “
University of Minnesota Extension +2


Oh. wait a minute. Let’s not forget distemper & rabies………

Cute or not, picking them up is just plain idiotic and brainless.

 

[Messy]

A real possum nestled among soft toys and animals in a gift shop has thrilled passengers and given airport staff something unusual to deal with in Hobart.

Liam Bloomfield, multi-site manager with Lagardere AWPL, at Hobart's airport in Cambridge, said staff members found the possum around 11.45am on Wednesday.

"We found the possum sitting within the native plush," he said.

"It looked like he was pretty comfortable with his friends there."
Mr Bloomfield said the animal "was not stressed" and appeared calm — with things becoming much less calm after the animal left the store, going on a tour of the airport.
"We had passengers here, there and everywhere, taking videos," he said.

"It was a bit of a mad rush to make sure it was safe, and no passengers were disrupted and that the possum got back home."
Mr Bloomfield said the real possum was "safely escorted" out of the terminal by Hobart Airport management.

He said how the possum got into the airport building was "a true mystery", but speculated it could be because of "redevelopment works" that are currently underway.

He described the possum's visit as a "nice little spike of happiness" during a normal day's airport business.

Short video attached to the link
Possum found in Hobart Airport gift shop soft toy section

He looks very different from these huge American oppossums.

 

[GoodEnuff]

Cute or not, picking them up is just plain idiotic and brainless.

IMHO, picking up any wild animal is just plain idiotic and brainless.

 

[Warrigal]

Possums, IMHO, are just nasty animals. We had one in our garage when I was a kid; it had shat all over the place. Dad managed to get it out.

One night years ago, I noticed what I thought was a cat on our back porch. I opened the door to give it some food. Was eyeball to eyeball with a possum. Yikes!

My nocturnal visitor, Possie, is not at all nasty. She waits until we have had our evening meal and them comes down for the little tray of fresh fruit that I leave out for her. As for sh*tting all over the place, Possie's deposits are out weighed by the contributions of the four free ranging pet hens that roam the back garden.

I would miss both the possum and the chickens, not to mention the other avian visitors - sulphur crested cockies, pigeons, lorrikeets and magpies.

The birds make work for me but really, I do need the exercise and time outside in the fresh air.

 

[Bretrick]

Wellllll, hats off to all those folks who don’t know straight up about those “ cUte” little things..

Th Hobart opossum looks innocent enough only because it looks like a young one.

That stupid girl in @Messy ’s video is probably hanging onto a diseased one, since it was “drooling all over the place”. At least the boyfriend had enough sense to tell her she couldn’t keep it.

Anyone can google “diseases opossums carry” and get a number of hits for human diseases.

They also carry EPM which can be devastating to horses and is often fatal to them.

“Opossum are the primary definitive host for the protozoan parasite (Sarcocystis neurona) that causes Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses. Opossums shed the parasite in their feces, which can contaminate horse feed, water, or hay, causing neurological disease in horses that ingest it, notes the University of Minnesota Extension and Leatherstocking Veterinary Group. “
View attachment 491934University of Minnesota Extension +2


Oh. wait a minute. Let’s not forget distemper & rabies………

Cute or not, picking them up is just plain idiotic and brainless.

It is an Australian Possum, not an American Opossum.
Australian Possums have bushy tails, Opossums have rat tails.
They are both marsupials.