A possum that was found alone back in 2021 as a joey that weighed just 161 grams has gone on to become one of the ‘biggest possums ever seen’.
‘Sandy’ the Brushtail Possum was brought to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary three years ago and placed into the care of staff member and registered wildlife carer Matt Clement.
Bonorong says Sandy was paired with a blonde Brushtail Possum named ‘Barley’, who was roughly the same size and the two quickly “became inseparable”.
“They spent five months in rehabilitation before they were ready to move to their soft release enclosure on Matt and Cathy’s property “Possum Hollows” and their enclosure door was opened in July 2021,” the sanctuary said.
“The two quickly took up residence in the “bachelor pad”, a nest box placed up high in a nearby stringy bark tree. Almost every night after their release, he and Barley would appear on camera, chasing the local bettongs and anything else that happened to venture into their territory.”
Tragically, Barley died after receiving a suspected snake bite a few months later, leaving Sandy to fend for himself once again.
“For much of 2022 Sandy would leave his nesting box for extended periods of time, taking up residence in a hollow not far from the home he had shared with Barley.”
On December 30, 2022, Sandy appeared on a remote camera setup, allowing Matt to estimate his body size – which appeared to be “in excess of 850mm from nose to tail”.
Matt said that made Sandy the largest possum he’s seen on his property to date.
“At 30 months in the wild and still a regular visitor to Possum Hollows, Sandy is one of the most successful – and frankly formidable – possums we have ever released,” Matt said.
Sandy continues to be a regular visitor and returned earlier this month after being absent for around two months.
