"Archie", who is pictured here, is a young male ringtail possum that was found at Pennant Hills Park which was severely burned by a deliberately lit fire. Archie was found on the ground outside the Archery Club (hence his name!) in the middle of the day with severe burns to his face, all four paws, his tail and thigh. You can see his singed whiskers in the photo! He was in care for two weeks and responded well to medication. Although he did not like having the burn cream applied to his paws he tolerated it and seemed to accept that his carer was trying to help him. Archie went on to make a good recovery and became less tolerant of being handled for his medication. But, the next challenge was to find a suitable release site for Archie as his home territory had been completely destroyed. Most native animals are territorial and must be released in an area which is familiar to them. It was eventually decided to release Archie in the bushland garden of one of our carers and to support feed him until he established himself. He was last seen in the company of a female ringtail so we are hopeful of seeing some little "Archies" running around next season!

For further information about Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Services, please contact Christine Miller, PR Officer, Phone 02 9413 4300

It is always important to check if a dead mammal has a pouch and if so to check that there are no young inside. If found, wrap joey in a blanket or jumper and keep the joey warm, and ring phone directory for the wildcare rescue number in the area.

Photo & carer: Nadia Angeli, Wildlife Victoria