Possums, preschool children, and rabies

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I know this is a terrible picture, but it's one I took the other day at the preschool (with someone else's unfamiliar cell phone). This a possum on top of the fence by our garden. He was moving unusually slowly, and didn't seem afraid of us, so I was a bit wary. But he also was the cutest possum I'd ever seen (I failed to capture that) and wasn't hissing, or engaging in other angry possum behaviors. But he was also drooling! I had the kids stay behind me took a picture with my co-worker's cell phone, but must have pressed too hard and jiggled the thing. I later Googled "drooling possum" and discovered that a drooling (as compared to frothing) possum does not indicate rabies. It's actually one of the many defenses (including, famously, playing dead) that possums use to avoid predators. Predators will shy away from prey that looks "ill." Life is for learning! Have you ever encountered an animal that made you wary?