Shropshire Star

Opossum rescued after genitals get stuck in fence

The marsupial had a lucky, if painful, escape in Madison, Wisconsin.

Published
An opossum walking across a fence

Police launched a delicate rescue operation after they found an opossum with its genitals stuck in a fence.

Officers in Madison, Wisconsin, were dispatched on Tuesday morning after a concerned citizen, who saw the animal motionless on the fence, called police worried it might be in distress.

“Using a catchpole, the first responders were able to lift the animal up a bit and quickly determined a couple of pieces of his male anatomy had become wedged between fence slats,” read an incident report from the City of Madison Police Department.

After some debate about how to proceed without further harming the marsupial, officers managed to free him by lifting him as high as they could with the catchpole and spreading the slats to liberate the trapped appendages.

The opossum was initially motionless after being rescued from the uncomfortable position.

The report read: “Was he playing possum, trying to trick the MPD into believing this unthinkable ordeal had proven fatal?

“A couple of pokes with the pole and it turned out he was still with the living.

“He hissed a bit at the sergeant and at the officer, his way most likely of saying ‘thanks’ for the assist.

“The opossum slowly waddled off. ‘Going to be sitting in snow someplace for a long bit I bet you,’ remarked the sergeant to the officer.”

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