Do you remember the adorable Pikachu from the popular animated TV show and game Pokémon? If you do, you can now guess how cute one orphan possum is, as she was nicknamed after him!

The rare baby possum was found lying on the ground by a concerned member of the public. Pikachu is only five months old and is believed to have probably fallen from her mother’s back.

She was brought into a Melbourne vet clinic and was nicknamed after the famous Pokémon character because she looked a lot like him.

Boronia Veterinary Clinic And Animal Hospital wrote on Facebook:

“We recently had a very special possum brought in to the clinic. The golden color occurs due to a mutation that causes a low level of the pigment melanin which gives them their normal color. They are so rare in the wild as although their bright color makes them look special to us, they also stand out to predators!

Luckily for this baby brushtail, she’s gone to carers to be raised and then will end up in a wildlife sanctuary so she can live a long happy life.”

The photo of the adorable Pikachu has charmed people online, with thousands of them sharing it and commenting on it.

Releasing her into the wild is unlikely as her unusual coloring might put her in danger. As Dr. Kath Handasyde from Melbourne University’s School of Biosciences explained:

“One of the issues with unusual colors, particularly if they are pale, is this a nocturnal animal and if they are pale they are obvious to predators like an owl.”

Therefore, he added that her wildlife carer will decide about her future.

Caroline Dazey from Wildlife Victoria explained that other golden possums are living on Melbourne’s fringes too, but added:

“We do get calls about them, there are little pockets of them in Victoria and we try to keep their location secret to keep them safe.”

Australians, you are blessed for sharing the place with the cutest animals ever!

Sources:
www.businessinsider.com
www.theage.com.au
www.dailymail.co.uk