Held ‘Hostage’ by a Possum

As reported by The Guardian:

A possum has been released without charge after it held a woman “hostage” at her home, New Zealand police say.

Officers received a call late on Sunday night from a distressed woman who said “a possum was holding her hostage” at her home in the South Island city of Dunedin.

“When she would exit her house and attempt to reach her car, the possum would charge at her and she would flee inside,” Snr Sgt Craig Dinnissen said.

When the police arrived and approached the front door, a juvenile possum came out of the dark and climbed an officer’s leg. Dinnissen suspected it was either an escaped pet or had recently been separated from its mother.

After apprehending the suspect, police delivered the possum up to nearby lookout spot Signal Hill and released it into the wild “to prevent further citizen harassment”. No harm came to the possum or the officer, Dinnessen said.