Wasabi pays a visit

For the first time since October last year, Wasabi has come to visit. He's been seen around a few times since then but this the first time he's actually come to visit the humans.

Wasabi - 17^th Feb 2015

Earlier in the night a mother and baby ringtail were seen in the trees (unfortunately too far away to photograph), so Wasabi might have been in the area keeping an eye on them. Wasabi is a responsible father.

Wasabi - 17^th Feb 2015

This time last year he had an ugly tail injury that was getting worse as time went on (any new readers might want to check out Wasabi's Stay in Hospital). Now there's no sign of it at all.

Underside of Wasabi's tail; no sign of injury - 17^th Feb 2015

At the risk of boring any regular readers, I'd like to make a point regarding Wasabi's recent history, because I think it bears repeating:

Late in 2013 Wasabi had an eye problem which appears to have left him with little or no vision out of his right eye.

Some people say that a possum, and especially a ringtail (which are claimed to be extra-delicate), with only one eye "won't be able to survive in the wild" and should be euthanased.

But here we have a ringtail who not only has lost the vision of one eye, but was also recovering from a serious tail injury that required hospitialisation, who has survived well over a year in the wild. And this in a location that's dangerous for ringtails (pretty much every house has a dog, cats often roam free and there are large carpet pythons about; one of which ate Wasabi's mother and sibling when he was young).

Now, after several months with no supplementary feeding or any other human assistance, Wasbi has returned looking plump, healthy and happy with no signs of wounds or illness. He has been perfectly able to hold onto his position of dominant male in the area and was recently seen mating with a female. I would say that he has more than simply survived; he has flourished.

So if someone says a ringtail possum can't survive in the wild with only one eye, they are dead wrong.