SPANISH FORT, Ala. — The Birmingham Zoo will unveil one of its newest arrivals Saturday during a “baby shower” for Sprocket, the little opossum who could, and Alex Mansmann of Fairhope will be front and center when the festivities begin.

Sprocket’s journey to the Magic City began two months ago when the second-grader at Fairhope Elementary School found the 3-inch, bald pouch possum in his backyard, threatened by a black racer snake.

The creature’s mother had been killed, and all of his siblings had perished, but 23-gram Sprocket was fighting to survive.

“He still had his eyes closed when I found him. I didn’t really know what to do, but I knew the people at Five Rivers (Delta Resource Center) would take care of him. I knew I could trust them with him,” Alex said.

See the rest of this story in the June 23 Spanish Fort Sun.