Did you know that a wombat’s poo is square-shaped?
It’s one of the fascinating facts about the native Australian animal, which is struggling in the wild.
National Zoo and Aquarium keeper Courtney Hawkins said the main reason was habitat destruction, while disease, including mange, and vehicle collisions also contributed.
“So, we’re going to raise money here for World Wombat Day [traditionally held on 22 October],” Ms Hawkins said.
The celebration will be held at the Zoo this Sunday, 19 October.
“We’re going to raise money for ACT Wildlife and Wombat Rescue, which are two really incredible organisations doing a lot of groundwork for wombats in rescue and rehabilitation,” Ms Hawkins said.
“And also managing that mange. (They’re) getting out there working on the ground and kind of treating it in the burrows as well, which is really incredible.”
The World Wombat Day celebrations on Sunday will kick off with a keeper talk and enrichment at 10:30am, followed by National Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Team Stalls raising money for both organisations from 11:30am-2:30pm.
The National Zoo only has one southern hairy-nosed resident wombat, eight-year-old Poppy – a breed not found in Canberra and the surrounding areas.
“She came to us from Sydney in 2021,” Ms Hawkins said.
“She’s really funny. Like most wombats, they’re incredibly charismatic little bulldozers and they can be quite sassy when they want to be.
“Her diet is pretty varied. A lot of vegetables, but in the wild, they’re going to be eating a lot of grass as well.
“So, maintaining her habitat, making sure she’s got a lot of really fresh hay and grass for her to chew on as well, but she absolutely loves her corn. That’s her favourite thing.”
Ms Hawkins said Poppy’s enrichment was anything she could destroy.
“She also loves chasing a ball. A netball is probably one of her favourite things to play with,” she said.
Ms Hawkins said her favourite thing about wombats was that their bottom had a plate that could kill their predators, even by crushing their skulls.
“If any predators try to go into their burrows, they can actually crush them on the side of their burrows with that really hard plate in their butt you can see,” she said.
“That’s why they look so flat.”
Ms Hawkins said the breed’s pouch faced backwards so she doesn’t dig dirt into it when there’s a baby inside. They also get the zoomies like dogs and are incredibly stubborn.
“They’re kind of little bulldozers of the Australian native world,” she said.
“They create burrows which can be up to 20 metres long and have multiple exit holes.”
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