Into this world

 

Last week, we found and adopted another life into our home. This new member is a native of Dreamland, known as a brushtailed possom. It is merely a few weeks old and left by itself in our laundery. Possoms usually keep babies with them for some 6 months before they are weaned off. We don't know what happened to its mother or why it is alone. But it was weak and desperately hungry. So we took it up and fed it some milk. We gave it a name 'Meego' - after a question 'why did Mommy let 'me go'?

Meego struggles to stand. Note humanlike hands, 4-finger feet, long tail, kangaroolike head and big ears.

Possoms usually prowl about at night at our place. They steal our fruits, nibble young tree buds and leaves, and make scary noises. They crawl back into our roof to sleep in the day time. Sometimes, they get caught and eaten by pythons who also share space in the roof.

But for Meego, born into this world and somehow separated from its mother, will be looked after until such time it can fend for itself. At the moment Meego needs milk and motherly care -- like hugs and tounches, toilet training, physical exercises and warm safe refuge (a furry bag to sleep in like its mother's pouch).

Meego has learned to hold the milk bottle and feed itself. A clear sign of strong will to survive and to grow up.

In a few days, Meego has quickly learned to adapt to its new world, human parents and diluted cow milk. Meego gets to lick some fruits too but so far it does not realy bite into fruits.

We know in a few months it will tell us "let me go" to find its place among its peers in the wild possoms' world.

We know we will miss Meego, and the joy of living together --in this world!

 

PS. We had supported Maggy Possom and a few generations of her clan in our 'granny flat'. We had learned to see possoms as smart, flexible, tolerant and opportunistic creatures. They are usually gentle and shy but inquisitive. They prefer fresh and local food over  processed food but they will eat bread, biscuits and market vegetables (mostly 'imported' from other parts of the country). Many possoms live in suburbia and cities (such as Melborne and Sydney). But the majority livie in rural and bush areas.  The city possoms pick their living out of gardens and rubbish bins. 

There are 2 kinds of possoms 'ring-tailed' and 'brush-tailed'. They are protected by laws in Dreamland.