For the past six weeks, volunteers at the centre, with the help of vets and nurses at Champion Lake Vet Centre, have been treating a nasty wound around the male possum’s right front leg.
Centre supervisor Kristy Gaikhorst said the possum has required daily antibiotics, pain relief, cleaning of the wound, bandaging and massages for the past five weeks.
‘Mammals usually heal a lot quicker because they are warm-blooded,’ she said.
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READ NOW‘The wound was breaking down and filling with pus ” we were wondering if we were going to have to euthanise him because he couldn’t use his hand,’ she said.
‘But his fingers were still pink, so we knew there was still blood flow in his hand.’
Ms Gaikhorst said the possum had responded well to treatment and can now grips items in his fingers.
He will need ongoing care, but has been placed in a larger enclosure.
Once he makes a full recovery, he’ll be released back into the wild.
Ms Gaikhorst said the case highlighted how inhumane the traps were.
‘He suffered a whole lot of pain and we didn’t know if he was going to pull through, but once he overcame the infection and shock, he came right.
‘If he wasn’t brought in, he would have died from infection.’
The centre mainly takes in animals that have been attacked by cats or dogs, hit by cars or have being poisoned by rat or mice bait.
Ms Gaikhorst said Racumin was the only safe poison.