A female brushtail possum joey rescued by WIRES and weighing in at a tiny 327 grams was successfully released back into the wild last week.

WIRES volunteer Michelle Lewis took Sunny into care last October after the tree she and her mother were sleeping in was cut down.

“The mother escaped unharmed but in the chaos of the tree being felled sadly the pair became separated while Sunny was still heavily dependent on her mum for survival, “ said Lewis.

Thanks to Lewis’s dedication and care, Sunny more than tripled her weight over the next four months tipping the scales at just over a kilo. Healthy and happy, she was relocated to a preliminary release aviary in mid-January before being fully released back into the wild. 

“Of course there’s always a tinge of sadness when you say goodbye but it’s so rewarding to watch them return to where they belong so they can start families of their own,” said Lewis.

Lewis is one of the many WIRES members from across NSW who rescue and care for our native wildlife, however there is always a need for more volunteers. WIRES offers an accredited training course to all new members to ensure any rescued animals receive the highest quality of care.

“We urgently need more WIRES volunteers in the local area. So we're asking anyone who has an interest in helping our wildlife to please attend the upcoming WIRES Rescue and Immediate Care Course on 6 March.”

Anyone interested in attending the accredited WIRES course on 6 March in Mittagong can email training@wires.org.au. For more information please visit wires.org.au