By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The average lifespan of an opossum in the wild is just one to two years, though they may live up to four years in captivity. Clyde the Opossum made the most of his 18 months as an animal ambassador at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. KWEC Director Curtis Wolf and staff announced Clyde's passing on Oct. 21.
"He came from over in Ellinwood," Wolf said. "Kathy Hines who lives over there had actually taken Clyde in as a small baby and she hand-raised him, which is not the best thing to do, and people should not do that. However, in doing so, she highly socialized Clyde."
Because Clyde could not be released back into the wild, he was given to KWEC to be an animal ambassador. He made trips to local schools and was available to visitors at the KWEC.
"One of our part-time employees absolutely loved Clyde and would have him out at the front desk most of the times when she was working, so she would introduce him to most visitors coming through," Wolf said.
Clyde was a Virginia opossum, the only marsupial found north of Mexico. Virginia opossums typically reach the size of a domestic cat.
