Barnaby and Chester both had very rough starts at life. The two possums found themselves orphaned and alone at an extremely young age after their mothers were killed.
Without their moms to protect them, the little brushtail possums didn't have much of a chance. They were young enough that they couldn't feed themselves.
In fact, they had still been living in their mothers' pouches! Luckily for them, a very nice woman named Taneile Hoare came to their rescue.
Hoare, owner of Free As A Hawk Refuge in New Zealand, offered to take the baby possums since she has plenty of experience with wild animals. With her care, the two young animals began to thrive.
The two baby possums have caused quite the stir online with their unique personalities!
Scroll down to find out what happened to Barnaby and Chester, and let us know what you think of these adorable little possums in the comments below!
[H/T: The Dodo]
When Chester the possum was just a baby, tragedy struck.
He and his mother were hit by a car and they got separated.
The woman who hit them felt terrible and searched for the mother possum for over an hour to no avail.
The poor baby possum sat in the road confused and alone, wondering where his mother went.
The desperate woman took to social media to plead for help.
That same night, a trapper caught another possum in one of his traps.
To his surprise, baby Barnaby was peering up at the man from the dead mother's pouch.
Taneile Hoare, the owner of an animal refuge in New Zealand, rushed to help both of the baby animals right away.
The possums were weak and too young to survive on their own.
Hoare did everything she could to keep the baby possums safe.
She bottle-fed them and kept them in soft, warm blankets to provide them with the security their mothers' pouches used to give them.
Each day, Hoare worked with Barnaby and Chester to make them feel normal again.
The two possums and their adopted mom began to bond.
The two possums had very distinct personalities when they were first brought in.
"Barnaby was a real mummy's boy and all he wanted was to snuggle up to you and be babied and pampered," Hoare told the Dodo.
Chester was much more independent.
"When it came to being bottle-fed, he wanted to hold the syringe by himself," Hoare explained. "He always had to have things his way when sharing the pouch with Barnaby, as he wanted the best spot."
As the possums have grown up, their roles switched a little bit, but their appreciation toward their new mom has stayed the same.
"Barnaby started to stand up for himself, and he is now the more dominant between the two of them," Hoare said. "But with me they know I'm still Mum and are very gentle and polite."
If you'd like to see more of Barnaby and Chester, check out their Instagram!
Don't forget to let us know what you think of these lucky little possums in the comments, and please SHARE with the wild animal lovers in your life!
