So, a cowgirl and an opossum walk into a bar...
A video has gone viral after a Texas woman was hailed as the "Possum Queen" after she humanely removed a wayward opossum that found its way into a bar located in the small town of Nacogdoches.
The incident captured in a viral video occurred on April 1, and it was not a prank.
According to KETK, the woodland creature entered Banita Creek Hall early Saturday morning just as the bar was closing up and patrons were leaving the establishment after a usual busy Friday night.
Unfortunately, the furry critter missed the last call and its presence was making patrons a little nervous.
But customer Jessica White saved the day by picking the marsupial up by its tail and safely taking it outside with aplomb.
\u201cTexas Woman Nicknamed 'Possum Queen' After Rescuing Confused Opossum from Country Bar https://t.co/4fmlukSVxV\u201d— People (@People) 1680729610
Banita Creek Hall posted a video of the blonde cowgirl in action and likened the fearless bar patron to a hero.
"Not all heroes wear capes," they said of White–who was outfitted in a yellow sleeveless shirt, denim shorts, and cowboy boots.
"Sometimes they’re a southern belle who obviously aren’t afraid of anything needless to say your next rounds are on us."
Here is the viral clip.
People online were super impressed seeing White step up to the task.
\u201c@people Protect this woman at all costs. She\u2019s a keeper!\u201d— People (@People) 1680729610
\u201c@KHOU @jdoubleu95 God bless you for your kindness! You\u2019re a \ud83d\udc8e gem! Beautiful inside and out, and I\u2019m glad people are recognizing that kindness to animals is such a wonderful character trait.\u201d— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU 11 News Houston) 1680792001
\u201c@KHOU @jdoubleu95 Wonder if Possum Princess sounds better ? Lol nice work \ud83e\udd70\ud83d\udd25\u201d— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU 11 News Houston) 1680792001
The bar's follow-up post wished the Possum Queen a happy birthday, as the following day, April 2, marked the special occasion.
Banita Creek Hall's Facebook page shared the infamous clip of White again and wrote:
"Word on the street is that our #POSSUMQUEEN is celebrating a birthday next weekend."
On April 6 in response to her video going viral, White downplayed her heroism and chalked it up to being nothing special.
She posted a video showing her affection for animals and wrote:
"Safe to say I have always loved animals."
\u201cSafe to say I have always loved animals \u2764\ufe0f #PossumQueen #tiktok\u201d— jessica white (@jessica white) 1680809075
This was not the first time an opossum was removed from an establishment after startling customers.
Last May, an Alaskan woman named Sara Fulton who was residing in Brooklyn, New York, helped rescue an opossum that had wandered into a local bar in the neighborhood of Greenpoint.
While some of the bar's patrons were skittish over the rare sighting of the confused critter, Fulton didn't flinch given her background growing up surrounded by the great outdoors and being used to spotting wild animals.
She instinctually picked the marsupial up by its neck scruff and released it outside the premises, seeing it as the "least painful" solution under the circumstances.
She was subsequently lauded for being a hero and people in the bar bought her drinks.
