Wombat

:See Wombat (television) for the Australian television program.

Wombats and humans

Unlike of a lot of Australian marsupial wildlife, wombats appear to have little fear of humans. They can be awkwardly tamed in a captive situation, and even coaxed to be patted and held. Many parks, zoos and other tourist set-ups across Australia have wombats for show to the public.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, this lack of fear also means that they may display acts of aggression if provoked, or if they just don't seem to be in the mood. Not only does the sheer weight of the animal make a wombat on the charge sufficiently capable of knocking a man over, but their sharp teeth and powerful jaws can result in very bad wounds. A naturalist, Harry Frauca, once described a wound he suffered from an ill-tempered wombat that he got too close to while photographing it. The wombat knocked the man over and took a bite 2cm deep into the flesh of his leg - through a rubber boot, trousers and thick woollen socks no less (Underhill, 1993).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This piece of exchange, found on the internet 2005, describes an attack on a young boy let into an enclosure unprotected to feed a wombat at a caravan park. He was charged, knocked over, and bitten and scratched all over.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wombats, whilst looking cute and cuddly when small, do not make good pets in the long run. By their very nature, they are solitary animals and prefer to stay that way when older. Russell The Wombats' Burrow has a detailed section on why wombats do not make good pets.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~