A Southbury woman woke up to find a strange intruder in her bed.  Police say officers responded to a call about an opossum curled up with a resident Wednesday night.  The officers were able to carefully and strategically rescue the creature in a soft laundry hamper.  No injuries were reported to the woman or the animal. 

The opossum was released back into its natural habitat. 

Southbury Police say opossums eat up to 5000 ticks per season, reducing human risk of contracting Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.  The nocturnal animals kill vermin, including mice and garden pests.  Opossums have a serum protein in their blood that neutralizes snake venom.  Southbury Police say scientists have produced an antidote to poisonous snake bites for humans using opossums' blood, but it is still being tested for large-scale production. 

They are timid, and hiss or faint when frightened.  They have a hard time surviving in cold climates because they don't have very thick coats.