AssetID: 53100906
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Wilbur The Wombat Is Australian Zoo's Newest Addition
Caption: The Australian Reptile Park has recently welcomed with open arms another little addition to their ever-growing family – a five-month-old, orphaned wombat joey aptly named Wilbur. Last week, the tiny joey was handed to the Park after a passer-by had discovered that a wombat had unfortunately been hit by a car. Seeing fluttering movements from the pouch, the rescuer found the baby wombat inside and quickly brought the joey to the Park to be cared for. The wombat joey requires round-the-clock care, including a bottle feed at 3am, as he is estimated to be only five months old. Keeper Seleena De Gelder has taken on the role of surrogate mother to the joey, providing him with the love and care he needs to thrive. Keeper Seleena says of the new addition “I was the first Keeper to see Wilbur when he was handed into the Park. When I laid eyes on the little joey, I instantly fell in love. I’ve always loved the name ‘Wilbur’, and it just seemed like such a fitting name for him.” Knowing that Wilbur had a rough start to life, Ms De Gelder noted that, “The first week of care is always critical with little orphans like Wilbur. It’s hard to know if they’ve been exposed to disease, are malnourished, or even injured in the accident. We’ve been monitoring him closely and he’s pulling through like a champion.” Ms de Gelder goes on to explain “Cars are one of the biggest threats to our Aussie wildlife. With so many people now out on the roads these school holidays, we are calling for people to slow down. Too many animals are killed by vehicles each year and if we all took a little more care, we can decrease the number dramatically!” For now, Wilbur will remain at the Australian Reptile Park for roughly 12 months. Once it is decided if he is healthy and strong enough, he will be released back into the wild. Visitors may be lucky to see Wilbur walking through the Park with a Keeper while he’s settling in and finding his feet.
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