Billabong Baby
A baby wombat has to be one of the most idiotically appealing creatures around, and little Tonka is no exception.
Tonka had a rocky start in life, way down in Victoria. His mum was killed on the road and he was shuffled through four different carers before being flown all the way up to Billabong Sanctuary near Townsville.
Now Ranger Brooke has the happy task of raising this little digging machine—and he will be an awesome digger once he grows up. Just look at those claws!
At 9 months of age, Tonka would still be in the pouch, nursing on mother’s milk. As his substitute mum, Brooke will bottle feed him for the next 6 months or so on specially formulated wombat milk replacer, plus Vitalyte solution to keep him well hydrated. He’s just started nibbling on a bit of grass as well.
Tonka goes home with Brooke at night, and sleeps in his own portacot where he burrows into a woolly jumper to take the place of mum’s pouch. When he’s awake he trundles around like a little bulldozer, headbutting and chewing on her boots.
Tonka loves to have his bony little butt scratched. Like koalas, their closest living relative, wombats have a thickened pad of cartilage on their rear end—this protects them in their burrow from predators like dingoes or foxes.
Billabong Sanctuary Update: Venomous Snake Shows
Wil and Vince will be showcasing some of our deadlier reptiles . This is your chance for a close encounter to learn all about local venomous snakes such as taipans, brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes.
All shows will be held in the confines of our purpose-built snake pen (near the billabong as you enter the park) during weekends of the school holidays . Call Billabong Sanctuary on 47 788 344 for dates and times.
