Meet Claire + Eric’s latest wildlife rescue – Bubba Rosso.
Bubba Rosso’s mum was unfortunately hit by a car on the road up to Guthega [more than likely when tourists where told to evacuate national park due to bushfires in the region] and was rescued from mum’s pouch by some local firie’s [who also named him].
At just 250 grams [approximately 3.5 months old] he came to us covered in dirt but was in good health. After just 2.5 weeks in our care he already weighs almost 500 grams and is getting more stronger and determined by the day.
At this time in his life the most important thing he needs is lots of sleep, to be fed every 4 hours and kept in a quiet and calm environment to give him every opportunity to grow, become strong and thrive in his new home. It is also crucial for his well-being to spend as much quiet time with him- giving him hugs close to the heart – as the soft sound of the heart-beat is very reassuring for all baby animals.
Being un-furred, he can not regulate his own body temperature yet so his bedding is constantly monitored using a thermostat to ensure it sits around 29-32 degrees – this can be adjusted with extra bedding, a heat pad and sometimes a hot water bottle. Because the heat-pad can dry out his skin he needs to be oiled once a day.
The purpose for caring for all wild-life is to give them a second chance. A chance for them to return to the wild where they can live out their natural lives. Bubba Rosso will be encouraged to live as much of a normal wombat life as he can, without becoming a pet, as the main goal with all wild-life entrusted in our care is to always ensure that we are looking and working towards their release. As cute as he is, we do not want Bubba Rosso to fully imprint on us, as this can jeopardize his life. The best way to ensure he doesn’t get to attached to us is to buddy him up with another wombat [or 2 or 3] of similar size and age – this will probably happen in 3 months or so.
Wombats are not fully independent until 2 years of age – so he has about 20 months with us [along with his fellow wombat buddy – whoever that may be]. We will soft release him on our property, which involves having him in a fenced area with a burrow, feed and fellow wombat buddies. Over time the gate to this fenced off area is kept open and the wombats can come and go as they please. Eventually they find their own burrow and move out of the enclosed area, and depending on the wombat we may never see them again [which is very sad for us humans – however we are happy for their independence] or they may wander up and around the house to say hello every now and then, with some females even bringing their babies with them.
