An animal rescuer is recovering after she was mauled by a 42kg wombat that ‘ripped off’ a chunk of her hand. Beth Nasser encountered the marsupial named ‘Bambam’ at her Wombat Stomp wildlife sanctuary in the NSW southern tablelands earlier this month. Without warning the normally cute and cuddly creature lashed out. ‘(The wombat) just […]
Tag: wombat
Millions of native creatures, including wallabies, green rosellas, cockatoos, and wombats, have been killed in Tasmania under property protection licences
According to data compiled by the state government, millions of native creatures, including wallabies, green rosellas, cockatoos, and wombats, have been killed in Tasmania under property protection licences. The Tasmanian Greens argue that a wider legislative investigation into the management and protection of wildlife in Tasmania should be conducted in order to study the “staggering” […]
Wombats’ deadly bums: how they use their ‘skull-crushing’ rumps to fight, play and flirt
Australia is known for its strange and deadly wildlife, with plenty of attention given to venomous snakes and bird-eating spiders. But it seems one terrifying aspect of outback fauna has been thoroughly ignored: the wombat’s deadly bum. The rump of the wombat is hard as rock, used for defence, burrowing, bonding, mating and possibly violently […]
Victoria’s wombat killing laws closer to being overhauled after public pressure
A ban on wombat shooting is a step closer after public outrage over a Chinese-run hunting lodge sparked a government probe into why killings were still considered legal in some parts of the state. Wombats are being counted and their movements mapped in Victoria as authorities investigate threats to species survival including targeted shooting. But […]
‘Significant suffering’: experts call for national plan to save wombats from mange
Last month Grasso wasn’t doing well. The bare-nosed wombat, dubbed Fatso in Italian, was infected with mange. The devastating skin disease caused by parasitic mites had left his skin crusted, bleeding and constantly irritated. His eyes and ears were so affected he could barely see, hear or even smell. The nocturnal animal was out grazing […]
We say we love our national parks. The evidence suggests otherwise
Australia has the most extraordinary national parks, home to our unique wildlife, deserts, mountains, forests and sacred icons such as Uluru. We are rightly proud of them. It’s hard to pick a favourite. But I do love Wilsons Promontory, where the wombats reign supreme, and getting one of these inquisitive fellows out of your tent after […]
Two of Australia’s three wombat species under threat from killer disease
Two of Australia’s three native wombat species are under threat from a disease which can leave the animal blind and deaf, and eventually kill them. A project launched by the University of Western Sydney is calling on the wider community to help track wombat health, and hopefully stop the spread of the sarcoptic mange disease […]