“[I] went straight into wildlife rescue mode!”

As a trained wildlife rescuer, PJ Dhaliwal is always ready to help an animal in need. Recently, Dhaliwal proved just how committed she is, when she jumped into action in the middle of her wedding day.

 

Just after the ceremony, a guest told Dhaliwal about a possum struggling in a tree nearby. Still clad in her white wedding dress, the animal lover didn’t hesitate to get her hands dirty.

“I kind of forgot it was my wedding,” Dhaliwal told The Dodo. “[I] went straight into wildlife rescue mode!”

Dhaliwal, who’s volunteered at Darling Range Wildlife Shelter since 2019, immediately clocked that the nocturnal possum shouldn’t be out during the day.

“[T]he fact that she was out in broad daylight, around humans and noise, and exposed, was a very clear sign that [there] were underlying issues,” Dhaliwal said. “She was also being attacked by territorial birds, which could have caused serious injury if we didn’t intervene.”

Dhaliwal quickly got to work.

“I used some marsupial pouches I had in my wildlife kit to gently restrain and catch the possum … with help from [a] fellow volunteer, Anne, as well as my new husband, Gavin, holding the stool under me to help me reach her,” Dhaliwal said.

Out of the tree, the little possum was given a welfare assessment. Julie, another volunteer, took the possum to an experienced carer nearby, where she could continue her recovery.

Dhaliwal was so relieved.

“I knew she was going to be alright,” Dhaliwal said. “[W]e could relax!”

With the crisis averted, Dhaliwal and her husband returned to their wedding day. Dhaliwal’s guests weren’t annoyed in the slightest. In fact, they were glad to have seen the bride do what she does best.

“Many said it was a very PJ thing to do,” Dhaliwal said. “My husband’s family loves hearing all my crazy stories about different rescues, and they were all just so delighted to see me in action!”