In Texas, good Samaritans knit sweaters for a bald possum

The female possum, nicknamed Peach, suffers from alopecia — a rare condition that causes her hair to fall out. Since fur is necessary for the animal to regulate body temperature, Peach would not survive the winter.

Fortunately, the baby was dropped off on the doorstep of the Saute Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Texas, where she is now being cared for. And at the request of the organization, volunteers knit sweaters for Peach so that she can spend the winter in comfort.

An unidentified man left a box containing a three-or four-month-old possum on the doorstep of an organization in Lubbock, Texas. Gail Barnes, the executive director of the organization, was warned in advance that it would be a possum, but when a furless paw poked out of the box, she first thought it was a bald cat. She immediately placed the possum in an incubator for rehabilitation.

Employees of the rehabilitation center posted a post on Facebook, in which they described the situation and explained why the Peach will not be able to survive in nature. There, they asked volunteers to donate warm clothes for the possum, and people responded with joy. Owners of bald cats willingly shared warm clothes, and someone even started knitting sweaters especially for Peach.

Peach is now on the mend and has almost doubled her weight in the process of rehabilitation. Barnes says that Peach likes crickets and applesauce best, and judging by her weight gain, she eats them to her heart's content.

She also walks around in the festive outfits given to her, and the center willingly shares photos of these fashion shows.

The future of Peach is somewhat hazy due to the pandemic, but one thing is clear-she will not live in the wild. Barnes said the possum is likely to become an "education ambassador" and will be touring schools when they open.

Peach will serve as an excellent training material for studying marsupials - due to the fact that she does not have fur, her brood bag will be easy to see.