Veteran animal rescuer Karenlynn Stracher, from Long Island, has seen it all in her long career—but even she wasn’t prepared for the call she received early one morning.
Still groggy from sleep, she picked up the phone to hear a woman urgently requesting her help.
The police had advised the caller to reach out to Karenlynn, and that was all she needed to hear. In an instant, she was up and on her way to the given location, unaware of the unusual surprise that awaited her.
A Tiny Pair of Eyes Peering from the Machine
When Karenlynn arrived, an elderly woman was already waiting, standing beside an open washing machine.
Peering inside, Karenlynn was met with two tiny black eyes staring back at her.
It was a baby possum—stuck, scared, and in desperate need of help. Though Karenlynn had rescued countless animals, this was a first for her.
“There’s a first time for everything,” she later wrote in a TikTok video documenting the rescue.
Despite the odd situation, she quickly sprang into action. Grabbing a towel, she carefully reached in, managing to wrap the frightened possum and lift her to safety.
The little animal was so terrified that she froze, but Karenlynn knew this was just a temporary reaction. The important thing was that she was now in safe hands.
A Fitting Name for a Playful Possum
Since the baby possum had been playing peek-a-boo with her rescuer from inside the washing machine, the elderly woman suggested naming her Peekaboo.
The name stuck.
The woman even snapped a few photos of Peekaboo, jokingly telling her granddaughter that it would be a unique christening gift for her great-grandson.
However, instead of being wrapped in a decorative box, Peekaboo was taken to Karenlynn’s rehabilitation center, where she would stay until she was strong enough to return to the wild.
A Bright Future Ahead
“She’s with me and thriving,” Karenlynn shared with The Dodo. “She’s quite feral, which is a good thing. It will serve her well when she is big enough to be released.”
For now, Peekaboo is safe, growing stronger every day, and one step closer to returning to where she truly belongs.