Sadly the mom of these young opossums’ tragically died, leaving the youngsters to fate. Like most wild animals, the opossums also depended on their mother’s parental care. So, her absence greatly lowered the chances of their survival. Luckily enough, a sympathetic woman hurried to assist and take care of them. 

This committed wildlife caretaker’s name is Stephanie Maldonado. She discovered the babies when they could not even keep their eyes open. Initially, she decided to take opossums to a wildlife rescue facility. Yet, she had to take care of them alone because the facility was full.  

The woman was also a dog trainer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She realized the challenge of keeping the little animals, yet decided to do so. She felt extremely responsible for bottle-feeding the babies every two hours. Unexpectedly enough, she received extra help from the most surprising source. 

Stephanie arrived at her house and showed the new guests to her dog. She was amazed at how carefully her dog took the helpless opossums under her wing. The dog’s – Pretina’s mother instincts immediately surfaced, and she began to care for the small ones as if they were her own young.

The woman shared on Facebook her amazement at the parental care and warmth that her dog showed. The newborn overcame the tragedy and survived due to the woman’s generosity and the dog taking the role of their mother. You can see how the littles climbed up on her back during a regular walk. Pretina seemed to enjoy her new job as a mother. 

The opossums’ caregiver is sure they will be able to re-enter the wild at some point in the future, although it now seems impossible to break this lovely bond.