A woman in Tasmania is cleaning her pantry.
She expects nothing more than a little dust, but then she notices a grey stain in one corner.
The woman thinks the stain is mould. Has something leaked? When she tries to wipe the mould away, the woman flinches in horror.
The supposed stain is moving. What is it?
A small animal
It quickly becomes clear that it is not a stain of any kind, but a small animal. What kind of animal? The woman is not quite sure.
Judging by its size, it could be an ordinary mouse, but the appearance doesn’t quite fit.
So the woman calls wildlife expert Jude Lennox, who quickly comes round.
Cercartetus nanus
Jude has no trouble identifying the little guest in the larder.
It is a fat-tailed dormouse (Cercartetus nanus) from the dormouse family.
These tiny marsupials are native to southern Australia and Tasmania. They weigh between 15 and 43 grams.
In addition to a body length of 7 to 9 centimetres, their tail is 8 to 11 centimetres long.
However, thick-tailed dormice are considered to be very shy, so the animal visitor in the pantry is definitely a surprise.
Protected space for a sleepyhead
On closer inspection, Jude realises that it is a girl. The little girl has barely moved after the homeowners almost brushed her aside.
Is she suffering from a disease? Fortunately, that’s not the case. She is hibernating.
Since she can’t stay here in the pantry, Jude takes her with him and provides her with a sheltered room with native plants and small cut grapes.
Jude hopes that with the story of the fat-tailed sleepyhead, she can help all people treat wild animals with more mindfulness and respect.
„We need to end the general indifference towards our wildlife and its welfare,“
says the wildlife expert.
Source: The Dodo
