Sleepy Burrows a sanctuary for our wombats as existential threat looms
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Shoes, clothes and furniture are regularly destroyed, and they even make holes in the walls. They do nip, or ‘play-bite’, and their hard heads and bottoms can cause bruising. But there’s nothing a wombat likes more than a scratch on the behind. “The way to a wombat’s heart,” Ms Stepan says, “is through their bottom.”
Ms Stepan says playing with wombats helps prepare them for release into the wild, which means her family spends around seven hours a day keeping them amused and active.
In the wild they can attack, but only if they’re disturbed. “They’re not hiding in the bush waiting to knee-cap you,” Ms Stepan says.
Bare-nosed (formerly known as common) wombats are not classified as endangered, so Sleepy Burrows doesn’t receive any government funding. (The operation is paid for by people who sign up to be ‘Wombassadors’, donating a monthly sum. Ms Stephan also charges for tours of the sanctuary, which have been taken by many foreign dignitaries visiting Canberra.)
The wombats spend up to seven hours a day playing, in preparation for their return to the wild.
Photo: Margaret Gordon
Article source: http://smh.com.au/sport/motorsport/bathurst-1000-scott-mclaughlin-lap-record-claims-pole-20171007-gywc8a.html
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