The latest addition to the Australian Reptile Park family is a five-month-old orphaned wombat joey aptly named Wilbur.
The tiny joey was handed to the Park after a passerby had discovered that his mother had been hit by a car.
Seeing fluttering movements from the pouch, the rescuer found the baby wombat inside and quickly took the joey to the Park to be cared for.
Wilbur requires round-the-clock care, including a bottle feed at 3am, with keeper Seleena De Gelder taking on the role of surrogate mother to provide the joey with the love and care he needs to thrive.
“I was the first keeper to see Wilbur when he was handed into the Park,” De Gelder said.
“When I laid eyes on the little joey, I instantly fell in love.
“I’ve always loved the name Wilbur and it just seemed like such a fitting name for him.
“The first week of care is always critical with little orphans like Wilbur.
“It’s hard to know if they’ve been exposed to disease, are malnourished, or even injured.
“We’ve been monitoring him closely and he’s pulling through like a champion.”
De Gelder said cars were one of the biggest threats to Australian wildlife.
“With so many people now out on the roads, we are calling for people to slow down,” she said.
“Too many animals are killed by vehicles each year and if we all took a little more care, we can decrease the number dramatically.”
Wilbur will remain at the Australian Reptile Park for roughly 12 months.
Once it is decided if he is healthy and strong enough, he will be released back into the wild.
Visitors might be lucky enough to see Wilbur walking through the Park with a keeper while he’s settling in and finding his feet.
Source:
Australian Reptile Park