BY DWARAK BALASUBRAMANIAN

A brushtail possum nicknamed ‘Pandy’ has become a social media star since it began calling a cat’s bed home in a Belgrave garage.

Part-time studio administrator Leisa Embury Collins said her decision to give the possum a cat bed in June was more of a joke after she kept seeing the native animal on her garage shelf, looking sad and miserable.

“I didn’t want to relocate him – the cat bed was for eight dollars and I thought it [was] good for a laugh,” she said.

“I didn’t think he’d go in the bed, but he did.”

Ms Collins, 49, said she put up a CCTV camera in the garage to send recordings to her family, but later decided to upload videos to social media after Pandy began using the bed every day.

“It amazes me that an animal in the wild can come back and live a comfy life,” Ms Collins said.

“His name was 50 per cent a joke because my brother’s name is Andrew and we call him Andy.

“It was like Pandy from the pandemic.” 

Pandy has become somewhat of an internet sensation with his own Facebook and Instagram pages that have 1,600 and 1,300 followers respectively. 

Named ‘Pandycam2020’, the pages include CCTV footage of Pandy’s daily activities and other possum-related memes shared by followers. 

Members have also shared their love for Pandy by baking cakes, building sculptures and designing Pandy’s own range of merchandise. 

Ms Collins said she never expected such a large response, but Pandy provides people with some light-hearted fun during lockdown. 

Leanne Davis is one among the thousands of followers of the Facebook group. 

Ms Davis, 49, who is currently supporting her husband through radiotherapy for terminal cancer, said the Facebook group is currently her happy place. 

“Pandy and Leisa have made a huge difference to me. It’s a page where you can forget your issues and day-to-day struggles,” Ms Davis said. 

“I have never had an interest in possums until I came across Pandy and now I am hooked.

“I get anxious when he doesn’t come home...just like one of my children.” 

Ms Collins said while she has no intentions of attempting to domesticate Pandy, she would love for him to stick around.

“While he’s in there, he’s not sitting on someone’s roof chewing wires – I think it’s a win for the community,” she said. 

“I’m going to keep posting videos and encourage people to share their possum stories.” 

You can follow Pandy’s possum adventures on Facebook or Instagram.