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At least four of the opossum’s offspring have been caught so far this month. Courtesy of ADFG<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sometime in March, a stowaway opossum arrived by boat in Homer, Alaska, igniting a mixture of excitement and consternation among the locals. Opossums are not native to Alaska and pose potential threats to native species. Officials with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game requested assistance capturing the varmint, while some residents rallied behind the rogue marsupial, nicknaming it \u201cGrubby\u201d after Grubstake Avenue, where it was spotted in April.<\/p>\n Grubby was finally captured in May, but not before she gave birth to a litter of possums. Officials have captured four joeys as of June 6, but are searching for more.<\/p>\n \u201cOpossums typically have litter sizes of, say, eight to nine\u2014they\u2019ve been known to have as many as 13,\u201d ADFG biologist Jason Herreman said<\/a> earlier this month. \u201cSo, there\u2019s probably a few individuals out there that we\u2019re trying to track down.\u201d<\/p>\n A local animal shelter managed to capture the opossum in April, but it escaped before ADFG officials could arrive. Over the following weeks, as Grubby ran loose in the coastal community, some Homerites embraced their new hero while others argued for the opossum\u2019s recapture. This included ADFG officials, who cited the risks the non-native critter posed to fish, birds, and other native species.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue is that we don\u2019t want invasive species in the state because of disease possibilities, because of the effect on native flora and fauna,\u201d Herreman told reporters<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n The controversy only helped boost Grubby\u2019s celebrity status, and a campaign to save the opossum sprang up in town. The hashtag #FreeGrubby became prominent on social media as locals posted flyers and made t-shirts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe community has become completely divided,\u201d the city\u2019s animal shelter director Jillian Roberts said later that month.<\/p>\n State officials, meanwhile, continued to push for the opossum\u2019s lethal removal. Herreman had a bigger concern: that the opossum could be a female carrying young. \u201cThe last thing we want is to establish a population.\u201d<\/p>\n In May Herreman\u2019s fears were realized when Grubby gave birth to a litter of joeys. Afraid of another Aleutian Island varmint infestation<\/a>, officials asked the local community to help trap Grubby and her offspring. On May 24, the adult possum was finally apprehended by the Homer Police Department.<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday morning at approximately 0525 hours, Officer Crowder observed a wanted fugitive and somewhat local celebrity on the lam near Lakeside Drive and Smokey Bay,\u201d the local police wrote in a Facebook post<\/a>. \u201cAfter some very effective de-escalation, the suspect was contained and taken into custody without further incident. It was transported to the Homer Jail via a very comfortable Rubbermaid trash can.\u201d<\/p>\n Grubby was then turned over to ADFG officials in Homer. And although they had previously announced that the opossum would be euthanized, officials had already begun looking into other options.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were folks who were interested in making sure this animal wasn\u2019t necessarily destroyed, but had a chance to be re-homed or sent back where it came from,\u201d Herreman told Alaska Public Media<\/a> last month. \u201cAnd then we have other folks who understand the invasive-species issue and don\u2019t have any issues with the animal possibly being put down for the good of the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n Read Next:<\/strong> Pythons Are Allowing Rats to Take Over the Everglades<\/a><\/p>\n After communicating with several facilities, Herreman announced on May 25 that the Anchorage Zoo had volunteered to take the animal in. As the zoo\u2019s first and only opossum, Grubby will live out her remaining days in captivity.<\/p>\n Now faced with a passel of unwanted opossums in Homer, ADFG biologists have been searching the town for Grubby\u2019s offspring (which locals have jokingly referred to as \u201cgrublets\u201d). They caught one joey on June 2 and trapped three more on June 6.<\/p>\n Efforts to trap the remaining opossums are ongoing, and the Homer Police Department has encouraged locals to report the joeys as they\u2019re found. \u201cThey have placements for the little ones so don\u2019t be afraid to give us a ring,\u201d the department wrote in a Facebook post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n