Pepper the ’possum joins ONP team

The Oakland Nature Preserve is excited to announce the addition of Pepper, a young, non-releasable female Virginia opossum, to its Ambassador Team.

According to ONP, Virginia opossums are Florida’s only marsupial and the only opossum found in the United States. They range across Central and North America, from Costa Rica to southern Ontario, Canada.

They are beneficial animals to have around, as they eat many pest animals, including rats, snakes, slugs, snails and other garden pests,” ONP staff said, and they also eat carrion and clean up spilled garbage and fallen fruit.

Say hi to Pepper next time you are at ONP. She has been meeting visitors on her daily walks, and as she becomes more comfortable, she will attend the preserve’s events.