An orphaned baby possum has found a new friend - in a cuddly toy kangaroo.
The baby brushtail possum, who was found abandoned and dehydrated in a suburban neighborhood of Mosman, Australia is inseperable from her stuffed playmate.
The mini marsupial is recovering well after being nursed back to health by staff at Taronga Wildlife Hospital.
Veterinary nurse Felicity Evans, who tended to the tiny creature, nicknamed the female possum Bettina.
Evans has cared for her ever since, and with the help of the toy kangaroo, has cuddled Bettina back to good health.
The nurse said Bettina's cuddly best friend gives her comfort in the absence of a mother.
"At this age she would naturally still be with her mother, so the soft toy gives her something to snuggle for comfort," Evans said.
"It’s not as fluffy and woolly as an adult brushtail possum, but she clings to it using her claws and teeth as she would do with mum in the wild."
Now four months old, Bettina was brought to Taronga Wildlife Hospital in September, where she received emergency first-aid.
Bettina weighed less than 3 ounces when she first arrived at the hospital, but she has since doubled in size, and enjoys feasting on carrots, sweet potato and natural flowers.
Evans said: "She's feeding really well and is quite a vocal little thing. She'll sit in the spare room next to me and call out when she's ready to feed.
"She particularly loves bottlebrush and the soft tips of eucalyptus."
