Have you ever seen a leucistic opossum? If not, meet Yeti, a gorgeous all-white opossum who was rescued by the Second Chances Wildlife Center in Mount Washington, Kentucky, after she got hit by a car. She suffered neurological damage and has only one working eye. She cannot be released into the wild, so she's a permanent resident at the Center and is now a licensed SCWC Wildlife Education Ambassador.
She's also so incredibly cute, and makes the most satisfying, smackiest, snacky noises when she eats. As the Center explains, "Yeti is our messiest eater for sure! Check out the food flying today!! Her head trauma makes her eating style unique but she gets it done! Yogurt nose."
The all-white opossum is leucistic and not albino. BBC explains the difference:
Leucism inhibits pigmentation in some skin cells
It is different to albinism where no melanin is produced at all
Animals with leucism may have darker pigment in their soft tissue
Giraffes with leucism retain their dark eyes, whereas animals with albinism have pink eyes
Birds, lions, fish, peacocks, penguins, eagles, hippos, moose and snakes have all displayed traits of leucism
The Second Chances Wildlife Center is a 501c3 organization, and a licensed and trained wildlife rehabilitation center, whose goals is to rehab wildlife and release them back to nature. They rescue and rehabilitate any mammal species native to Kentucky, including bats, squirrels, groundhogs, skunks, opossums, foxes, raccoons, and more. They also seek to educate the general public that wildlife are NOT pets, and shouldn't be kept as pets.
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