Watch: An adorable baby wombat goes for a jog on the beach (and becomes an internet superstar)

Some folks try all manner of tricks and schemes to gain internet fame. But for this baby wombat named Derrick, a quick jog down a secluded beach in Tasmania was all it took to skyrocket the little marsupial to web stardom.

Derrick began gaining global attention earlier this month when a video of him bounding adorably down a beach on Tasmania's Flinders Island surfaced on Facebook. Filmed and uploaded by photographer Sean Scott, the short clip quickly went viral and a new, pint-sized internet star was born.

But Derrick's story is not just about a cute wombat that knows how to work the camera, he owes his fame (and life) to the efforts of dedicated wombat-saviour, Kate Mooney. Affectionately known as the "Wombat Lady of Flinders Island", Mooney took Derrick into her care after his mother was hit by car in December last year.

Weighing in at only 700 grams (24 ounces), Derrick was plucked from his mother's pouch and handed over to Mooney, a rescuer who has ample experience looking after these unique animals. She took in her first 'patient' in 1996 and since then has nursed over 100 wombats.

Currently, Mooney's 40-hectare (100-acre) property is a temporary home for fifteen rescued wombats that spend their time frolicking in and around the house and shearing shed until they are strong enough to fend for themselves. "Last year I had 6 [wombats], the year before I had 13 — they do eventually wander off, and that's the plan," Mooney explained to Mashable.

Although Flinders Island on the eastern tip of Tasmania is home to fewer than 1,000 people, the area is teeming with wildlife and, sadly, many animals are killed in collisions with vehicles each year. It's a situation that Mooney hopes is improving. Derrick is currently the only wombat under her care that requires bottle feeding which means less female wombats with babies in their pouches are being killed on the roads.

According to the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, the Flinders Island population is one of three subspecies of common wombat and their range is restricted to the island. Vombatus ursinus ursinus are smaller than their mainland cousins and, in our opinion, they're cuter too.

As for Derrick, he still has a little way to go before he will be ready to head out on his own. But if you're in the area, pop into the general store where Mooney works the 9-5 ... Derrick usually hangs out with her at he counter (literally).

Header image: Leo