West Lothian zoo caring for six cute possums found 'abandoned' outside Lidl store

The sugar gliders – which have a furry membrane spanning from wrist to ankle that allows them to glide through tree tops – are native to Australia.

According to the Scottish SPCA, the cute animals were taken to a police station in Clydebank a member of the public.

The possums, which were understood to be in a good condition when they were found, were later take to Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder, where they are currently in a 30-day quarantine.

In a post on Facebook, the zoo wrote: “We were recently contacted by Police Scotland and Scottish SPCA regarding six sugar gliders who had been cruelly abandoned in a box outside a Lidl supermarket.

“Sugar gliders are a tropical species, and being left to fend for themselves in the harsh Scottish winter did not give them the best chance of survival. While we are unable to accommodate every animal in need that comes our way, we remain committed to our animal rescue efforts, which is why we wanted to do everything we could to help in this situation.

“The sugar gliders, who are yet to be named, arrived two weeks ago and are currently in a 30-day quarantine period where our dedicated keepers are closely assessing their health and behavior before they eventually move into a new habitat.”

Gary Curran, the zoo's head of carnivores, said: “When we heard about this shocking case involving the abandoned sugar gliders, we really wanted to do something to help.

“Given the circumstances in which these animals were found, they seem to be recovering well, but we will continue to assess their health throughout their 30-day quarantine period, where they will hopefully move into a new habitat where they will be on show for our visitors.”

He added: “Helping in cases like this is very much how Five Sisters Zoo was started back in 2005. While nowadays we are more likely to rescue a lion or a bear, we remain committed to our rescue efforts and are always eager to help wherever we can.”

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