I found a possum…
…Now what?
Riff Raff
Wildlife Rehabilitation
What We Can Do?
We largely work with orphaned baby opossums (aka possums), called joeys. Often, the mother has either been killed or has dropped the babies in an effort to escape a threat. We provide the infants and youngsters proper nutrition as well as a warm, safe, quiet, calm, environment, along with any medicines they may require and enrichment activities to prepare them to be released back into the wild.
We can also treat adult opossums with minor injuries. However, for significant injuries, the opossum will need to be taken or transferred to a major city center with comprehensive medical facilities and staff (typically Nashville area or Chattanooga).
What to do…
Where in TN?
We support possum rescues specifically from Southern-Middle Tennessee.
Primarily: Giles, Lincoln, and Lawrence counties.
TWRA has resources to help you find permitted rehabilitators of various species of wildlife, located throughout the state of TN.
Click here for TWRA’s list of rehabbers.
Know the Law
Trust me, I get it. You’ve rescued this precious little life and you just want to help it. First, know that it’s illegal in the state of Tennessee to keep wildlife.
More importantly, it takes knowledge and skill to correctly rehabilitate an animal. There are special formulations required, precise dosages to administer, protocols for treating illnesses (which are common), and measures to protect us (friendly humans) from potential zoonotic diseases the animals may carry.
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