The mutation reduces the amount of melanin produced by the animal, giving its fur an unnatural goldish colour; the possum was later named after the Japanese cartoon character Pikachu, The Age reported.
The golden coat is more of a curse than a blessing; it makes it extremely hard for the creature to survive in the wild; thus, the rescue team decided not to release Pikachu in its natural habitat.
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"One of the issues with unusual colours, particularly if they are pale, is this a nocturnal animal and if they are pale they are obvious to predators like an owl," The Age cited Melbourne University scholar Kath Handasyde as saying.
Pikachu is not the only possum in Australia that has the unique fur colour; however, such species are rarely found in the wild.
