{"id":8169,"date":"2026-04-27T01:10:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T00:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/?p=8169"},"modified":"2026-04-27T01:10:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T00:10:34","slug":"how-did-meatball-the-opossum-end-up-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/?p=8169","title":{"rendered":"How Did Meatball the Opossum End Up Here?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The post <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com\/articles\/how-did-meatball-the-opossum-end-up-here\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:How Did Meatball the Opossum End Up Here?;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">How Did Meatball the Opossum End Up Here?<\/a> appeared first on <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_content=1565761\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:A-Z Animals;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">A-Z Animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some animals, like birds or butterflies, make long migrations, often traveling hundreds of miles. While these are purposeful, sometimes there are accidental migrations. In these cases, animals may end up in extremely unfamiliar environments that they\u2019re not suited for. One example is <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.juneauindependent.com\/post\/marsupial-on-the-run-gets-shot-at-the-good-life\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Meatball the opossum;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Meatball the opossum<\/a>, whose origins are unknown, but ended up in Juneau, Alaska! Since they\u2019re technically an invasive species in Alaska, the important decision of what to do with Meatball had to be made. Read here to learn more!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Virginia Opossum at Night\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"599\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Q5iK7UnIOvou8NJM8XvNVg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU5OTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/a_z_animals_articles_598\/bda783380e0ef7e12241422d773f127e\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\">\n<p>Meatball the opossum likely made a long journey up north before being discovered in Alaska.<\/p>\n<p class=\"copyright\">\u00a9randimal\/iStock via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">About Meatball<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The story of Meatball is a strange one. The young <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com\/animals\/opossum\/?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=in_content&amp;utm_content=1565761\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:opossum;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">opossum<\/a> mysteriously found himself hiding inside a machinery shop close to the airport in Juneau, Alaska. Opossums\u2019 normal range is typically throughout Central America and parts of the United States. Alaska is not typically a place where they are found. So when Meatball showed up, wildlife experts were a bit confused. It is thought that he was a stowaway on some sort of shipping container and, by chance, ended up way north. After being caught by animal control, Meatball was sent to the <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskazoo.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Alaska Zoo to receive care;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Alaska Zoo to receive care<\/a>. This is where he still resides now as an educational animal for visitors to admire. Since opossums are not built to handle Alaska\u2019s harsh climate and are considered invasive, Meatball will not be released into the wild. Thankfully, he is adjusting to his new home well and is even a local celebrity for his unique story.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">About Opossums<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Opossums, sometimes confused with possums, are native to the Americas. Possums, however, are found in Australia and New Zealand. Opossums live pretty much anywhere where food is available, including within cities, hence their affiliation with garbage cans. They are omnivores that eat fruits, insects, and even animal carcasses. While opossums have a somewhat negative reputation because of their association with trash, they are generally not dangerous. They tend to avoid conflict when possible, and even will play dead in dangerous situations. Thankfully, Meatball won\u2019t find himself in dangerous situations like this anytime soon, thanks to his new home at the zoo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The post <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com\/articles\/how-did-meatball-the-opossum-end-up-here\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:How Did Meatball the Opossum End Up Here?;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">How Did Meatball the Opossum End Up Here?<\/a> appeared first on <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_content=1565761\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:A-Z Animals;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">A-Z Animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The post How Did Meatball the Opossum End Up Here? appeared first on A-Z Animals. Some animals, like birds or butterflies, make long migrations, often traveling hundreds of miles. While these are purposeful, sometimes there are accidental migrations. In these cases, animals may end up in extremely unfamiliar environments that they\u2019re not suited for. One [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[12398,12391,321,175,55,1055,12396,6871,275,3011,1755,116,5625,3014,12394,119,4865,12390,12393,3716,2082,12389,12392,67,66,12395,45,12397,4967,147,2065,1566,2810],"class_list":["post-8169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets-news","tag-accidental","tag-alaska","tag-animal","tag-animals","tag-appeared","tag-birds","tag-butterflies","tag-cases","tag-confused","tag-dangerous","tag-ended","tag-home","tag-hundreds","tag-invasive","tag-juneau","tag-long","tag-meatball","tag-meatball-opossum","tag-migrations","tag-miles","tag-north","tag-opossum","tag-opossums","tag-pe-ts-fun","tag-pets-news","tag-possums","tag-post","tag-purposeful","tag-situations","tag-story","tag-thankfully","tag-traveling","tag-typically"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}