An orangutan at an Australian zoo shocked visitors when it brutally removed a possum from its enclosure by ”launching” it from the top of a tall structure after the wily pest had invaded its space.
A video that went viral captures the moment when the possum is launched into the air and disappears from sight as it is thrown from a high metal tower within Perth Zoo on Australia's western coast. Witness the incident, several people can be heard screaming, with one person exclaiming, "Oh, my God!"
Following this, the primate exits the enclosure, seemingly to check where the airborne possum had landed.
In response to inquiries about the fate of the unfortunate marsupial, a Perth Zoo official told Yahoo! News Australia: “I would presume it did not survive the fall. Obviously, the loss of any living creature saddens us, but also nature playing out.”
A video was posted on Reddit and quickly went viral. The person who shared the video of the possum's flight explained what had happened leading up to the dramatic toss, noting that initially, the orangutan was 'throwing the possum around on the ground.'
Following this, the massive ape pursued the significantly smaller animal up the pole and engaged in poking it with a stick, as described by the Reddit user.
According to the Reddit user, the possum ultimately landed in another enclosure that was home to two orangutans.
Perth Zoo initially referred to possums as a 'very robust species' and, regrettably, labeled them as 'pests.' They stated that 'it is impossible to eradicate all pests completely,' and mentioned that 'sometimes the orangutans evict the odd possum themselves.' This initial statement stirred controversy and backlash.
“The orangutan habitat is an outside environment, and possums, who also live at height, just like the orangutans, have been known to inhabit the above-ground territories,” the official explained.
“Whilst every effort is made to catch and remove them, the sheer height provides some challenges and sometimes the orangutans evict the odd possum themselves.”
Subsequently, a video titled 'Orangutan evicts unwanted possum out of the enclosure at the zoo by launching it off-platform sparked a heated debate, with numerous individuals sharing their opinions on the matter.
One person said: If only life was that simple, just throw out whatever doesn’t belong in your life. This is a bit harsh though.
A second wrote: For god's sake everyone saying poor possum!! It's NATURE, Even in a zoo that area was the orangutan's home. The natural world is harsh so it was doing the natural thing even though it's in a Zoo...
A third said: Thankfully Possum was uninjured and seen running away. Good job they are tough little fluff balls
Someone else said: We'll have people writing up on how's the possum, lol Really in the wild u can't check up on them. Wild animals. Part of nature.
As you can see, the possum is clearly unwanted in the presence of this Orangutan in his not so natural Habitat.. instead of simply asking this creature to leave, he shows a truly amazing ability to pitch that poor possum right across the field, and it is unclear if the possum will survive that encounter, what a magnificent throw it was! Another added.
Watching the video below:
