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Virginia and Short-Tailed Opossums as Pets, with Notes on Heidi, a Cross-Eyed Star

OpossumA Virginia or North American Opossum, Didelphis virginiana, purchased from a fur farm for $5.00, was my first “large” wild animal pet.  I’ve since raised many orphaned youngsters, several of which became tame enough to use in educational programs.  So I’ve always had an affinity for North America’s only marsupial…but my enthusiasm is not shared by many.  I was, therefore, greatly surprised by the recent fame of a cross-eyed Opossum named Heidi, who resides in Germany’s Leipzig Zoo.

The First Opossum “Star”

Heidi’s journey to the zoo is interesting in and of itself – orphaned in North Carolina, she was reared at a nature center and eventually found her way to a zoo in Denmark, and from there to Germany.  But the key to her popularity is the appealing look of a face dominated by “unique eyes”.  Read More »

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