LI Resident Takes Baby Possum, Blocks Officials On Social Media

LYNBROOK, NY — A person was ticketed by environmental officers last month after they took an abandoned possum in Lynbrook and blocked a wildlife rehabilitator's requests on social media to return it, NYSDEC (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) said.

On May 21, a Lynbrook resident created a social media post about an abandoned juvenile opossum (joey) they found in their backyard. In the post, they also requested assistance from a wildlife rehabilitator to help the joey.

A nearby licensed DEC rehabilitator responded to the request — but it was too late.

An unlicensed citizen had arrived minutes earlier and taken the joey.

The rehabber then made requests on social media to the citizen to return the joey, but the person ignored the messages and then “blocked” them.

They then reached out to Environmental Conservation Officers for assistance.

With only a name and chatlogs provided by the complainant, officers tracked down the citizen at their residence in Lynbrook.

During an interview, the subject admitted to taking the opossum without the required license. They received a ticket for illegal possession of protected wildlife, NYSEC said.

The joey was then taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator where it is expected to make a full recovery.