OUR WORK

Wombat Rescue

The rescue of wombats begins with you. When you see a wombat in trouble, please contact Hunter Wildlife Rescue 24/7 on 0418 628 483.

Without you, we can’t do anything to save a hurt, sick or orphaned wombat. You are the first most important step. We receive calls from throughout our 10,000 km2 area 24/7. When a call is received, the details are immediately sent to our Senior Coordinator who assesses the call and sends it to the appropriate team to reach the wombat. We can have someone on the road to you and the wombat within 10 minutes.

Wombats come into care at all sizes from a tiny handful sized orphan to a big 40 kg grandfather. We are equipped to rescue them all and take them to one of our specialised facilities.

What Puts Wombats At Risk?

Wombats face a number of serious threats — some direct, others indirect — many of which are made worse by human activities and environmental change. Here are some of the biggest:

Road strikes. Wombats are nocturnal and often move across roads during low-light conditions. Because they are low to the ground and slow-moving, they are vulnerable to collisions.
Sarcoptic mange (disease). Mange is a skin infestation caused by a burrowing mite. It is one of the deadliest threats to wombat populations — untreated, it leads to a slow and painful decline. Hunter Wildlife Rescue regularly treats dozens or even hundreds of wombats each season.
Habitat loss & fragmentation. Since European settlement, wombat range has shrunk, and habitat has been fragmented by development, agriculture, fences, roads and land clearing. This isolates populations and makes movement between habitats more dangerous.

Introduced species & competition. Rabbits, livestock and other introduced grazers compete for the same food and can degrade habitat. Wombats also face risks from feral predators such as wild dogs.
Human persecution. In some areas wombats are wrongly deemed pests. Though they are protected wildlife, conflicts over burrows or farming damage can lead to lethal control or habitat destruction.
Climate stress & environmental change. Drought, floods, fires and poor rainfall reduce food availability, degrade habitat, increase stress and make wombats more vulnerable to disease. Environmental extremes worsen mange outbreaks and slow recovery.