I will be putting up a more positive blog entry fairly soon, but there has been some very tragic news that I have to get out of the way. Wink was found dead in the garage.
 |
| Wink (with Sun back-riding) - 14th Feb 2023 |
She was discovered on the 7
th Dec and probably died the previous day. The cause of death is unknown. She looked peaceful and there were no visible external injuries. The vet who examined her could find no obvious cause of death. She had a tiny, unfurred, baby in her pouch, which was cold and barely alive when Wink was found. Unfortunately, the baby couldn't be saved. The little one has been named
Spark.
Wink will be terribly missed.
Possums face many dangers, both natural and man-made and if you have contact with possums for any period of time, you will inevitably have to deal with tragedies - and usually when they are least expected. It is always bad and doesn't become any easier to deal with over time.
Any followers of this blog will have noticed that I often write that such and such a possum is "still visiting and in good health". It might seem a bit repetitious, but it's always a relief to see a possum turn up, especially when they haven't been sleeping in possum boxes and have been away for several days.
But let us celebrate Wink's life.
Wink was Sasha's 11th baby.
She was first seen out of the pouch early in July 2020 and started back-riding later that month. She got her name because she winked at the humans when she first visited.
 |
| Wink climbs on Sasha's back in Box 4 - 3rd July 2020 |
 |
| Wink (back-riding on Sasha) - 29th July 2020 |
 |
| Wink (right) and Sasha (left) - 12th Oct 2020 [Photo by Xesce] |
About a year later, and with her first baby, she took over her mother Sasha's territory. All of Sasha's previous offspring had been chased out of the area (although some had set up territories nearby), but for some reason Wink was different. Either she was more determined or Sasha had decided she was a worthy successor.
There was a brief but fierce fight between two, after which they quickly came to an agreement: Wink took over the desirable area of the house, along with boxes 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8, with Sasha being left the corner of the garden with boxes 1 and 5 in it, although Sasha's territory also extended into a neighbour's yard. Later, Wink allowed her daughter Blossom to take over box 8.
 |
| Wink - 18th Sept 2020 |
 |
| Wink in Box 4 - 16th Oct 2020 |
 |
| Wink - 20th Nov 2020 |
 |
| Wink - 29th Jan 2021 [Photo by Xesce] |
 |
| Wink - 24th Nov 2021 |
 |
| Wink - 18th Nov 2022 |
 |
| Wink - 15th Nov 2024 |
Wink has had a total of seven babies: Blossom, Hapi, Grasshopper, Sun, Lumen, Grok and Spark.
 |
| Wink (left) and Blossom (right] - 9th Oct 2021 [Photo by Xesce] |
 |
| Wink (left) and Hapi (right) - 20th Mar 2022 |
 |
| Wink (right) and Grasshopper (left) - 14th Oct 2022 |
 |
| Wink (right) and Sun (left) - 8th April 2023 |
 |
| Wink (left) and Lumen (right) - 28th October 2023 |
 |
| Wink with Grok back-riding - 15th Aug 2024 |
Goodbye little Wink.
I'm so sorry to hear about Wink and Spark. I'd been trying to keep an eye on them since Wink had been messing with her pouch so much, and you mentioned that she might have a baby, so I'd been hoping to meet them.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful that Wink was able to spend her life in such a kind, welcoming place for possums to live.
Is Grok doing alright? Last I recall you mentioned that he'd been sleeping in the garage as well.
Thank you.
DeleteGrok seems to be doing alright. He has been sleeping on top of Box 7 in the garage every day, except for the day after Wink's body was found. He's very nervous when he visits at night, but he was already nervous prior to this event because he probably knew he'd have to leave this area fairly soon. Without Wink to chase him off to make room for her latest baby, he may be able to stay longer, but that will depend on who takes over Wink's territory.
I'm really sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteWe've - my friend and I - have been watching for a few months now, back since Grok was first starting to crawl out of the pouch and it's really sad to see Wink gone even from this distance... but it's incredibly hard to lose an animal that you've grown close to and known for so long.
Hopefully all of the other possums will be safe and comfy and happy.
As a question... do you think there's any possibility the heat might have killed her, considering she was found on the floor? I did notice that the possums were very uncomfortable with how hot it has been recently, even way over here.
Thank you
DeleteFortunately, all the other possums are in good health and visiting regularly.
I don't think that heat was the problem. At the time, the weather was a bit sticky but not terribly hot; it probably wasn't over 30 C in the garage where Wink was. The garage always has less extreme temperatures than the outside boxes.
As you saw, it got very hot (it reached 40.5 C in the afternoon) in Box 8 the following day when Blossom and Sprout were sleeping there. At some times of year this box is exposed to the afternoon sun, and although it's painted a light colour, it can still get very hot. Blossom and Sprout were very uncomfortable but didn't seem to be in great distress and were acting normal when they visited.