Ringo the opossum wasn’t doing well when a homeowner in Amarillo, Texas found him unresponsive in his driveway and made a call to animal control earlier this month.
When Stephanie Oravetz, founder of Wild West Rehabilitation Center, was called to help, Ringo had a plastic 6-pack ring strangling his body, was infested with maggots, and had been slowly suffocating for weeks.
Since it was a late-night emergency call and the veterinarian’s office was closed, Oravetz and animal control officer Kara Pierce did triage work on the animal, removing the plastic rings and cleaning the wounds that circled his neck and leg.
“His head was swollen from the plastic ring cutting off some circulation,” Oravetz told Lady Freethinker. “The ring went around the right side of his neck and down and under the left leg. It was embedded pretty deep. You could tell it was not a recent injury and he had a few maggots in the wound. “
After veterinary care and lots of TLC–which included hydrotherapy rehabilitation twice a day—Ringo has made a beautiful recovery.
“He is doing terrific!” said Oravetz. “His wounds are healing fast, he is gaining weight, and even has a little bit of an attitude, which is all a good sign.”

Photo: Stephanie Oravetz
Sadly, Ringo is one of the lucky ones. Improper disposal of plastic products has been killing wildlife for decades. Even as technology improves with the invention of photodegradable plastic, recyclable plastic, and even edible plastic, cheap, toxic plastics remain the norm — and it’s still crucial to cut those six-pack rings before discarding them. Even better, choose products that don’t use them at all.
As for Ringo the opossum, he should be fully recovered within the next few weeks, and, according to Oravetz, “He will be released back into the wild on protected land far away from humans.”
How heartwarming! Ever since I heard the first report of these plastic rings causing damage to animals decades ago, I am wary of even buying a sixpack of soda anymore. The very few times I have had to, I make sure to cut up the plastic rings before I dispose in the recycling container. It is really sad to see all of the litter across our beautiful earth and I just don’t understand why people continue to put trash anywhere but where it belongs.
So very pleased the outcome was positive…
Really excited that the co I run, Chamness Biodegradables http://www.ChamnessBiodegradables.com is making Biodegradable and safely edible 6 pack rings!
We had a skunk with some plastic around its neck-I got in touch with an animal centre (the closest) when they called me back the skunk was nowhere to be seen- I never new what happened to the poor thing.
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