Video of Orangutan at Australia Zoo Throwing a Possum Out of Enclosure Sparks Outrage
Most of the time, a visit to the zoo is a fun and easy way to get outside and learn more about animals. I know I'm not the only one with plenty of childhood memories from the zoo, the worst of which involved a nasty sunburn after a hot July day trip. I'm very grateful that I never witnessed anything like the recent incident at Perth Zoo.
One orangutan at the Australian zoo left visitors horrified after it threw a possum out of its enclosure. The wild marsupial likely climbed in via the trees, despite the zoo's alleged attempts to separate zoo and wild animals. The orangutan chased the possum on the ground before chasing it up the treehouse, poking it with a stick, and ultimately throwing it into another enclosure.
A visitor filmed the wild incident and originally posted it to Reddit, where--naturally--it went viral. People are shocked and outraged at the incident, which happened with children present. The Perth Zoo has since spoken out about the horrifying video, which some viewers may find upsetting.
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That's shocking, isn't it? It's no secret that orangutans are strong, but the large animal truly launched the possum. As concerning as it is for the marsupial, many viewers are impressed by the captive primate's strength.
"If you listen carefully, you can hear the orangutan yell 'yeet,' joked one viewer. Ouch! If the zoo orangutan weren't throwing a live animal, I'd probably be laughing at that, too, but I can't help but worry for the possum.
This video from @yahooaustralia explains that the zoo was unable to check on the animal and assumed it didn't survive the fall, but DailyMail claims that a zoo spokesperson said something different.
"Rest assured the possum was sighted scurrying off after being evicted," they said. "They are a very robust species." I sure hope that's the case! Many commenters shared stories about resilient possums, too, so I'll be telling myself that the sneaky possum survived with an amazing story to tell.
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