Ophelia, the educational ambassador opossum for Napa Wildlife Rescue. Ophelia was injured in a cat attack so severely that she cannot be returned to the wild, so the rescue enlisted her to help educate the public on the sweet and helpful nature of the fearsome-looking opossum. Submitted photo
PLAYING POSSUM Despite their fearsome appearance, opossums are gentle and help the environment
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atching an opossum shuffle through your yard can send a shudder down your spine. With their long hairless tails, sharp teeth, and beady eyes, opossums are just, well, creepy. But they don’t deserve the reputation we’ve given them, according to Janice Taylor, a longtime volunteer with Napa Wildlife Rescue. Taylor has been donating her time and expertise for over a decade to help save and defend these misunderstood marsupials. Yes, that’s right. Opossums are marsupials—not related in any way to rats, although that’s often the comparison 16 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
I S A B E L L E S C H M A LT Z people make. While their cute Australian cousins, like the kangaroo and koala, get all the love, opossums have been quietly benefiting the environment as nature’s “clean-up crew,” as Taylor likes to say. Opossums eat a lot of creatures most people don’t want to come across, like cockroaches, rattlesnakes, ticks, and almost any type of roadkill (opossums are immune to most snake venom, and they do not develop Lyme disease). Humans needn’t be afraid of opossums, she said. They’ll hiss, growl, and lunge (if threatened), but Taylor said most opossums are big fakers.
“ They’re not violent,” she said. “They’re not going to chase you down.” NAPA WILDLIFE RESCUE Opossums are just one of a multitude of wild species served by Napa Wildlife Rescue. In 2020, the rescue organization helped more than 15,000 injured or orphaned animals, according to Napa Wildlife Rescue President John Comisky. Normally, the rescue center helps about 12,000 animals per year, Comisky said. The dramatic increase last year was due to helping another rescue organization that received an influx after a wildfire. SPRING/SUMMER 2021
