We knew baby wombats were awesome, but we didn't know they grew such amazing facial hair! This male bare-nosed wombat joey was recently rescued on Australia's Tasman Peninsula. At a mere 282 grams (just over half a pound), this tiny joey is still in the 'pinkie' stage of its development – and it'll need a lot of TLC before its vigilant caregivers can say it's out of the woods.
"[At this stage of development], they are extremely fragile and require expert care around the clock," says wildlife keeper Melinda Hunt, who is keeping a watchful eye over the joey at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. "His mother was road kill and the joey was in mum's pouch attached to her teat. He is currently doing well but still not out of the danger zone."
Collisions with vehicles are the leading cause of wombat deaths in Australia, claiming the lives of 3,000 animals each year, a shocking 13.6 percent of the population!
We're crossing our fingers for this little fighter, and will be updating this post as details about his progress come our way.
Top header image: Linda Tabone
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