Orphaned opossum joey named Nigel finds new home at Oregon Zoo
2 min read
An orphaned opossum joey named Nigel has a new home at the Oregon Zoo.
Nigel, who weighs in at 9.5-ounces, was found earlier this month wandering behind an apartment building in Lebanon, Oregon. The local Chintimini Wildlife Center took him in and then worked with state wildlife officials to find him a more permanent home at the zoo.
“This little opossum had a rough start in life — he wouldn’t have survived long on his own,” said Eliza Lee, who oversees the Oregon Zoo’s ambassador animal area. “He’s settling in nicely and already showing us his curious personality.”
Opossums are the only marsupials found in North America, and they are considered invasive in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife says the Virginia opossum was introduced somewhere between 1910 and the early 1920s by people who brought them over as pets or novelties and released them into the wild.
Nigel will live in the ambassador animal area, giving Oregon Zoo visitors a firsthand chance to meet his species, which staff says is often misunderstood.
READ MORE: https://katu.com/news/local/orphaned-opossum-joey-named-nigel-finds-new-home-at-oregon-zoo-virginia-lebanon-department-fish-wildlife-north-america-marsupial-pacific-northwest
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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: June 2, 2025, 3:01 am.
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