An orangutan at an Australian zoo horrified visitors when it brutally evicted a possum by “launching” it from its enclosure after the wily pest invaded its space.
A viral video shows the creature speeding through the air and disappearing from sight after being thrown from a tall metal tower at Perth Zoo, on Australia’s west coast.
Several people can be heard screaming in the background, with one exclaiming, “Oh my God!”
The primate then came out of the enclosure, as if to check where the airborne possum had landed.
When asked what happened to the poor marsupial, a Perth Zoo official told Yahoo! News Australia: “I would assume it doesn’t survive the fall. Obviously the loss of any living thing is sad for us, but also nature at play.”
The person who shared the footage of the possum tossing on Reddit has opened up about what preceded the epic toss, saying that initially the orangutan was “throwing the possum on the ground.”
A screenshot from a viral video shows a possum flying through the air after being thrown from a zoo enclosure by an orangutan. Reddit
The orangutan pokes its head out of the tower after tossing the possum.Reddit
The great ape then chased the smaller animal up the pole and “started poking it with a stick.”
According to a Reddit user, the possum ended up landing in another exhibit occupied by two orangutans.
Zoo officials tried to play down the incident, telling the news outlet that although the zoo has a pest control program, “sometimes local wildlife manages to sneak in” – requiring the animals to take matters into their own hands.
Officials at Perth Zoo said it was a case of “nature’s play” between the two animals.Reddit
“The habitat of orangutans is the outdoor environment, and possums, which also live at altitude, just like orangutans, have been known to inhabit territories above ground,” the official explained.
“Although every effort is made to capture and remove them, the high altitude presents some challenges and sometimes the orangutan chases away the odd possum itself.”
Reaction to the viral video was mixed, with some Reddit commenters rooting for the orangutan, while others sided with the hapless possum.
According to a Reddit user, the possum landed on another orangutan exhibit at the zoo. Perth Zoo
“I know tenants are having a hard time paying rent … but this eviction is pretty rude,” wrote one netizen, while another opined that the violent eviction “is personal.”
A third posted: “Bloody hell, that’s like an Olympic-level discus throw.”
However, others didn’t think much of the furry little mammal, writing: “aww poor possum.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
