Orphaned Baby Wombat Adopted by Australian Zoo
The wombat's mother was struck and killed by a car
— -- A 6-month-old wombat named Chloe is “melting hearts” at the Australian zoo where she is being cared for after being orphaned by her mother's death.
Chloe was rescued in June after her mother was struck and killed by a car outside of Sydney, the Taronga Zoo said in a statement released today.
The wombat was found alive inside of her mother’s pouch after the crash. She was brought to the Taronga Zoo's Wildlife Hospital last week to continue her recovery.
At the zoo, Chloe has been “adopted” by a zookeeper, Evelyn Weston, who carries her in a makeshift pouch and feeds her from a bottle every five hours.
“She’s very affectionate and also a bit naughty,” Weston said, according to the zoo. “She loves chewing on shoes and if you walk away from her she chases after you like a rocket.”
Chloe is still only drinking a milk mixture after a first attempt at solid foods in her natural habitat fell flat.
“We did try to see if she’d nibble on a bit of grass, but she just thought it was something to lie on,” said Weston.
The zoo said it will keep Chloe in its care for two more months. After that, if Chloe has progressed well, she will be moved to the zoo’s Australian Walkabout exhibit.
Though she is being raised by humans, Chloe will have a chance to return to the wild again.
Zoo officials hope to release Chloe back into the wild in around 18 months.
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