Possums in the roof, koalas in bed: study shows how animals resort to Australian homes after habitat loss

Sugar gliders under the sink. ‘[The caller] had reached under the sink for a dishwashing tablet and instead her hand landed on something furry,’ said a Wildlife Victoria spokesperson. Photograph: Wildlife Victoria

Possums in the roof, bats in the curtains and ducks on the balcony: new research has revealed how native animals are making themselves at home in our houses.

Researchers have analysed a decade of wildlife rescue reports and found brushtail and ringtail possums make up half of all cases of animals in buildings, followed by microbats and bare-nosed wombats.