When visitors from overseas think about the terror of the Aussie bush, they think of snakes, crocodiles and spiders. You don’t usually think of wombats.
But wombats can be cranky beasts when they want to be (I know, I cared for one when I worked at a wildlife park). Cranky doesn’t usually equate to vicious though. Earlier this year, a wild wombat attacked a family in Dubbo (an outback town in New South Wales).
The family saw the wombat outside, and as one of them, the grandmother, had worked at a wildlife sanctuary caring for wombats, they went outside to see. That’s when the wombat ran at them. The grandmother tried to stop the wombat attacking her grand-daughter. While fending off the animal it took bites of her leg.
It also attacked her daughters who tried to help, knocking one over and ripping into the back of her legs.
Unfortunately, to save the family, others who heard the attack had to kill the wombat with an axe.
I like wombats, and wonder what made this one attack. They are nocturnal and usually quite shy as well, so it is very unusual it was even out and about. Perhaps it was injured or unwell? Perhaps it mistook the actions of the humans as an attack itself?
(I should note, wombats are protected in Australia).
As wombats are built like concrete besser blocks, I’m glad they don’t usually attack!
June 23, 2020 at 9:22 pm
Oh my gosh! This is a horrifying story! I did a project on wombats when I was in grade 4 or 5. I never realized they were so vicious!
June 24, 2020 at 8:53 am
They can be very cranky. But they are wild animals so if they need to, like any wild animal, they will attack. It’s rare though.
June 23, 2020 at 11:00 pm
That is so sad! I follow Jackie French on Twitter, and she fills her posts with photos of her local wombats, making jokes about their love of carrots. You just never know, do you? I hear that koalas can also be pretty cranky.
June 24, 2020 at 8:55 am
I read Jackie French’s weekly column in our local paper – I love hearing about her resident wombats. And yes, koalas are grumpy as well. But I guess most wild animals are, lol.
June 24, 2020 at 12:35 am
Do they get rabies? Maybe that caused it?
June 24, 2020 at 8:56 am
Fortunately for us, we are a rabies free country, Jacqui.
June 24, 2020 at 7:32 am
I’m sure there’s more to the story. Although, that family probably doesn’t know it. I wonder what set the wombat off.
June 24, 2020 at 8:58 am
I am sure there probably is too, Liz. I don’t know why it was out and about during the day, but I have a feeling it probably felt cornered and attacked as a result. But I guess we will never know.
June 24, 2020 at 9:05 am
Ooooh man! Learn something new every day!