By Tim Binnall
A police department in New Zealand responded to a rather bizarre call for help over the weekend when a woman reported that an aggressive possum was "holding her hostage" in her home. The very weird incident reportedly occurred on Sunday night in the city of Dunedin. Much to the surprise of cops on duty at the time, a frightened resident phoned them and said that she was stuck inside her house due to a pugnacious possum. Recounting the call, an official with the department explained that "when she would exit her house and attempt to reach her car, the possum would charge at her and she would flee inside" the home.
Cops dispatched to deal with the report quickly realized that the call was not a joke as, upon their arrival, they were greeted by a possum that emerged from the shadows and brazenly climbed up the leg of one of the officers. Fortunately, it appeared to be more friendly than ferocious as police captured the critter and, "to prevent further citizen harassment," relocated it to a forested area nearby. Given the animal's fearless nature, it is suspected that the possum was either an escaped pet or perhaps a juvenile that had not yet learned that it is best to avoid humans.