Baby possum bonds with dog that rescued it from crow attack

BRISBANE, Australia, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- An Australian pet owner said his dog rescued a baby possum from a crow and the tiny marsupial quickly formed a strong bond with the canine.

Trevor Weeks said he was walking his springer spaniel, Chilli, at the Colmslie Recreational Reserve in Brisbane about 6:30 a.m. on a December morning when he and the dog went to investigate the sound of crows nearby.

"Chilli took off towards a large gum tree and I then spotted two crows, one attacked a very small object from the front and one from the rear," Weeks told 9news. "Chilli, being a springer spaniel, sprung in, the crows flew off. The object was a very young baby possum."

Weeks said the baby possum wasted no time latching onto Chilli's ear and going to sleep.

"Chilli sat very quietly in the car with the baby possum still asleep in his ear," Weeks said.

Weeks took Chilli to the vet, where the possum was gently pried from his ear and given a clean bill of health.

"I was told he would go to a carer 'til he's old enough to be set free. Chill was quite relaxed with the little fella asleep in his ear, he has done similar with young birds that have fallen out of their nests," Weeks said. "Several people including council workers said they'd never seen anything like this before."

Photos of Chilli and the possum were shared on Facebook by veterinarian Dr. Chris Brown.

"After a few months of nurturing from a wildlife carer and occasional visits from Chili, he'll be released back to the wild where his second chance at life will hopefully work out better than the first," Brown wrote.