The opossum earned the nickname “Cake Bandit” after stealing food from a house, being rescued, and having its story shared on social media.
It all started when Kim Doggett, from Omaha, USA, opened the back door of her house and found chocolate cake remnants on the porch. She and her son then followed small footprints and found the little opossum resting on a sofa.
Doggett told CNN that she tried to get the animal to leave but was unsuccessful, and that’s when she started wondering if the chocolate had harmed the opossum and called the American Humane Society, which rescued the animal and took it to be evaluated by a veterinarian.
The animal was then admitted to the Nebraska Wildlife Rehab with a note attached: “The opossum was brought in after eating an entire chocolate cake. It was panting but mobile and alert.”
The rehabilitation center nicknamed the opossum “Cake Bandit” and shared its story on Instagram. “With some rehab time (and a diet reset), this chocolate lover should stabilize enough to return to the wild, but until then, it’s definitely a little upset with our strict ‘zero chocolate’ policy,” the post said.
Internet users quickly filled the post with funny comments expressing solidarity with the opossum and its sweet cravings. “I relate to this opossum on a spiritual level,” commented one user.
In fact, according to Laura Stastny, the executive director of Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, eating the cake likely saved the little creature, which is currently being treated for both its recent eating habits and unrelated lead toxicity.
“It seems that it was lucky to be caught red-handed because this allowed it to come to our hospital and be diagnosed with what could have become a fatal condition in wildlife,” she wrote in an email to CNN.
According to her, the rehab center professionals believe that the animal will fully recover and will soon be returned to its natural habitat.
“We’re optimistic about its future release, but it will likely be at the end of March or early April,” she said.
