Stowaway Sugar Glider Rescued After Sailing Moreton Bay

When Carolyn Peterson saw a tiny furry face pop out of her sailboat's rigging in the middle of Moreton Bay, she didn't know who got the bigger fright.

The Queensland boatie had unknowingly brought along a stowaway. A sugar glider had curled up to sleep in the folded sails before the boat left the Caboolture River earlier this month.

The nocturnal marsupial normally spends its days snoozing in tree hollows. This time, it picked the worst possible bedroom.

Peterson's husband didn't believe her at first. But one look at the little critter clinging to the rigging convinced him they had a problem.

The couple couldn't turn back because of the tides. They called Wildlife Rescue Queensland for help and anchored at Moreton Island to wait.

Catching the glider took serious effort. Two adults and Peterson chased it around the boat with a pillowcase while the little creature bolted up the rigging every time they got close.

They finally caught it in the pillowcase. A resort on Moreton Island, which runs a wildlife rehabilitation center, sent someone on a quad bike to collect their uninvited guest.

The sugar glider spent the night at the resort before catching the passenger ferry back to the mainland the next morning. A Wildlife Rescue Queensland volunteer met the ferry and drove the glider to their veterinary team.

Sunny's Take

Veterinary nurse Hannah Gallagher said it was one of the more unusual rescue calls her team had received. The glider was in excellent condition and even a bit chubby.

The team named him Wilson, after the volleyball in Cast Away. Gallagher joked that she wasn't sure if he enjoyed his unexpected ocean adventure.

Wilson turned out to be a mature male, which made his solo journey even more puzzling. Sugar gliders typically live in family groups with multiple females and young.

Gallagher suspects habitat loss may have scattered his family. Trees might have been cut down in his area, forcing him to find the first safe place he could, which turned out to be not so safe after all.

The rescue team released Wilson back in Beachmere, where the boat had been docked. Gallagher hopes he learned that boat sails aren't appropriate nesting spots.

She praised the Petersons for their care but reminded people to contact wildlife organizations immediately when they find stranded animals. Even cute creatures like sugar gliders have big teeth and sharp claws.

Wilson is back on solid ground, hopefully reunited with his family and sticking to trees from now on.