On Feb. 10, during the chaotic Carnival celebration in the French Quarter, agents of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department seized a pet opossum named Saffron from its owner, William Voiles.
But what happened to the animal thereafter has been a secret, with the LDWF declining to comment on Saffron’s location or well-being.
Finally, after days of uncertainty, Voiles said that on Thursday he reached someone in the agency, who informed him that Saffron was “being taken care of.”
The person he spoke to refused to share any further information, Voiles said.
It is illegal in Louisiana to keep a wild animal as a pet. But Voiles said he didn’t set out to be a lawbreaker.
He said he found Saffron as a baby clinging to the carcass of his mother, who had been killed in traffic.
Voiles bottle-fed the creature until Saffron could feed himself, and then added it to his small menagerie of pets.
William Voiles small menagerie of animals rode remarkably calmly through the French Quarter in the front and rear baskets of his adult tricycle in this 2023 photo. Now Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officers have confiscated Voiles pet opossum named Saffron
Voiles, who sells woven-ribbon crosses and fleurs-de-lis to make ends meet, can often be seen pedaling his adult tricycle through the French Quarter with his companions, including small dogs, a rabbit and opossums, in the baskets.
That didn’t sit well with Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department agents, who were patrolling downtown New Orleans for Mardi Gras season.
Officers busted Voiles at roughly 11 p.m. on Endymion Saturday, impounding Saffron, who was wearing a blue sweater at the time.
A portion of the public did not applaud the law enforcement action of the LDWF. The number of people who have signed an online “Save Saffron the Opossum” petition is approaching 10,000.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents patrol the French Quarter during Carnival 2023
“The outpouring’s been great,” Voiles said. “Without that, I’d have given up on the first day, but people have helped me get through.”
Voiles said he can’t afford a lawyer to help him try to retrieve his pet, though some well-wishers have suggested a fundraiser to cover legal fees.
But, he said, he has filled out an application for a permit to be able to keep and exhibit Saffron. He believes the application has been delivered to the LDWF.
Voiles is hopeful he’ll be approved to keep Saffron, citing the case of Neuty, a hand-raised “nutria rat” who was allowed to stay with his Metairie family after the LDWF attempted to confiscate him in 2023.
Thanks to public outcry, press coverage and the intervention of politicians, Neuty was given a pass and his keepers obtained the proper permit to keep their pet.
The Bywater Bakery is displaying cake frosting design that advocates: ‘Bring Saffron home.’
Posters have appeared pleading “Save Saffron,” and Voiles said he’s heard that someone is creating prayer candles devoted to his opossum’s return.
And now, Bywater Bakery is displaying a cake frosting design that advocates “Bring Saffron home.”
“I’ve met Saffron and his dog pals Nutmeg and Cinnamon several times outside of Cafe Envie,” explained Bywater bakery proprietress Chaya Conrad.
“Saffron was especially sweet and adorable, and I had multiple conversations about the importance of possums, their personalities, and watched as he played with his little dog pack,” Conrad said.
“I’m heartbroken that such a sweet and docile creature would be taken from its home,” Conrad continued, “so we used the bakery’s reach to help share the story.”
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