Wombats are one of the most common road casualties in the Bega Valley, so it isn’t surprising when a neighbour of Potoroo Palace shows up with a rescued juvenile wombat in the back of his vehicle.
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She was found in his garden appearing very lost and was easy to capture. Her size was that of a small wombat who would be only just emerging from the pouch, but she had adult fur and a protruding spine.
“Timolly” hungrily accepted the milk fed to her from a teat and slept and drank for four days without wanting to emerge from her basket. On the fifth day she happily began exploring and sat in her specially made burrow.
Whenever it was time for her feed she would spring out with a growl, ready to bite but once she had been cuddled and fed, would calmly settle again.
She had probably been without her mother for about a month and would have had to defend herself against predators such as dogs, foxes and larger wombats, as well as avoiding road traffic.
After a week of nourishment and care she was taken to meet another young rescued wombat who had been orphaned and hand reared. Although he didn’t yet have adult fur like Timolly, he was considerably heavier.
Their relationship has been steadily improving. He has taught her to eat wombat pellets and other human-sourced suitable treats and she has shown him what wild wombats can be like!
Wombat eyesight is poor and the speed of cars means by the time they hear an approaching vehicle they panic and bolt, often into the car.
If you see a wombat at the edge of the road, act as you would if you saw a two year old child. Slow completely down and prepare to stop until you are sure the animal will move away from the road.
