Family Of Opossums Found Living In Car At Copiague Dealership: DEC

COPIAGUE, NY — Several Copiague car dealership employees received a furry shock last month, after they discovered a family of opossums inside the engine of an electric car, the Department of Conservation (DEC) said.

On April 17, "anxious employees and mechanics" at South Shore Kia, located at 1128 Sunrise Hwy, contacted an environmental officer, to properly remove a mother opossum and her babies from the car.

The mechanics assisted the officer by putting the car on a lift and removing the skid plates and guards that officers and a wildlife rehabilitator could safely remove the opossums.

This "lucky" opossum family was then safely transported to receive care and monitoring until they can be released to the wild, DEC said.

Opossums are North America’s only marsupial and can have upwards of 12 babies that will cling to the mother until they become too big to hold on.