Orangutan hilariously seen throwing unwanted possum from its zoo enclosure

Sometimes, when someone’s getting on our nerves we just want to shut them off.

We block them on X, finally mute their endless Instagram stories of mundane activities – we don’t need to see your coffee order every day – or simply, leave the group chat.

But in the animal world, it seems you’ve got to be a little more dramatic.

I mean if an unwelcome guest was bothering us, we’d probably have the same reaction as this.

One orangutan has gone viral for hilariously throwing an unwanted possum from its zoo enclosure.

The primate at Perth Zoo, Australia, did give the invader a chance though.

The orangutan reportedly poked at the possum with a stick to begin with, but it just wasn’t taking the hint that it wasn’t welcome, 9News reports.

So, the fed-up animal used his perch and flung the possum away – sending it flying through the air like a toy.

"On this occasion, the orangutan was alarmed to find an unknown occupant in their bed", a Perth Zoo spokesperson confirmed.

Reddit/user/j___---h

"The orangutan habitat is an outside environment, and possums, who also live at height, just like the orangutans, have been known to inhabit the above-ground territories.

"Rest assured the possum was sighted scurrying off after being evicted. They are a very robust species."

So, no worries if you thought we had no care for the invader – it’s confirmed it didn’t get hurt after its trip through the sky.

It’s said that possums take into the primate’s habitats as the weather gets cooler, hoping for a warm and cosy nest to sneak into.

And users on X are in hysterics over the now viral video, writing: “Google alerts for 'orangutan yeets possum out of his home' finally paying off.”

One wrote: “I like how he looks out like ‘AND STAY OUT’.”

Others joked: “David Attenborough: See here, the majestic orangutan. Such gentle and compassionate creatures........... We can fix that in post right?”

Reddit/user/j___---h

However, after Perth Zoo said ‘it is impossible to eradicate all pests completely’ and that ‘sometimes the orangutans evict the odd possum themselves’, there was some backlash.

Some were outraged the zoo had described it as a ‘pest’ and that the orangutan had engaged in a little possum hurling as ‘nature playing out’.

Some wondered how a zoo that ‘supposedly protects all living animals’ could say such a thing.

In apology and clarification, the zoo said: “While they do pose a management challenge for us on site because of their large numbers, our outdoor environment, abundance of food and bedding, it is not appropriate to refer to them as a 'pest' in the same way we would consider introduced black rats as a pest.

"This was not our intent."

Either way, this could be the next real-life Tom and Jerry.

Topics: Animals, Viral, Weird, Australia

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_