Grubby the most sought-after Alaskan Opossum, settled in to her new home on Saturday at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage.
The opossum arrived on Wednesday night from Homer and is the first opossum ever to stay at the Zoo. The curator Sam Lavin said Grubby has been observing her nocturnal nature by sleeping throughout the day and chewing up cardboard when she’s awake. Lavin has said she’s working hard to convince Grubby over.
“Mainly we’re building trust currently, and getting her to think of us as foods,” said Lavin. “Seeing people less stressful when they are associated to food.”
It’s been two months since the surprise arriving in Alaska. It was an stowaway inside an unmarked shipping container from Washington state, which was heading to Homer at the end of March. Once she reached Homer, the Kenai Peninsula town, she quickly caused a stir when she walked around and dodged traps. Some wanted her to be captured and killed, as opossums are an invasive species to Alaska. Others rallied behind her, and started an online campaign called #FreeGrubby.
The police ultimately found Grubby early on Wednesday and biologists opted to transfer she to Alaska Zoo.
As of right now, Grubby is technically in quarantine at the Zoo. She’s in an infirmary and visitors are able to observe her from a window. The animals she lives with include ground squirrels that’s new to the Zoo.
The Zoo plans to keep Grubby after she has finished in quarantine, but they must decide on what to do with her exhibit.
“Since they’re not in Alaska We’ll be thinking about what she’s going to do during winter,” said Lavin. “We’re shocked that she was able to make it out in Homer and the way she did given the cold winter we’ve had last year.”
Zoo staff estimates Grubby is approximately 2 years old. older. The zoo has received numerous donations over the last 24 hours from Grubby’s fans and her following on social media has grown.
