Real Life

Meet the wombat wonder mum of Flinders Island

Kate reveals how she went from living alone to being a mother of 13...
Meet the wombat wonder mum of Flinders Island

Kate Mooney, 57, from Flinders Island, Tas, shares her story:

Blood and guts were smeared all over the road. It was a sight 
that made my heart sink with despair.

“Another poor wombat gone,” I muttered, making 
my way to work.

Since moving to tiny Flinders Island, a 35-minute flight northeast of Tasmania, I’d seen so many of these beautiful creatures hit by cars.

As an animal lover who lived alone with only cats, dogs and ducks for company, this made me sad.

So when a local man found 
a baby wombat still alive in its dead mother’s pouch, I was the first person he thought of.

“Can you save it?” he asked.

“I’ll do my best,” I vowed.

The little wombat was tiny, weighing just a kilo.

I knew I had to do everything I could to help.

“You need a new pouch,” 
I said when I got back home from work.

I named her Batski, and placed her in a felt beanie where she could be warm.

From that day on, she became my child

Feeding Batski baby formula, I took her with 
me everywhere I went.

While I was out in the shearing shed, I put the window down and left her in my car to sleep in the beanie.

“Mum’s going to work now,” I smiled, stroking her back.

To my relief, 
she continued 
to grow and was soon sleeping 
on a bean bag 
by the fire.

Having 
her around brought me 
so much happiness.

I was going to spend Christmas 
on my own 
so I even had a packet of 
rolled oats wrapped under 
the Christmas tree as my special present for her.

But I knew that wombats 
are wild creatures so 
I encouraged Batski to 
go off and explore. Even when she went away for hours on end, she always came back to me.

Then, one day, 
she went for a walk and didn’t return.

Credit: Sammi Gowthorp

Days passed before I had to accept she was gone.

I hoped she was happy in the bush where she belonged.

Credit: Sammi Gowthorp

Since Batski, I’ve saved 
more than 70 others.

They can be a handful, especially the time I was caring for 13 at once!

Only a few weeks later, another resident came to 
me with a baby wombat 
who needed rescuing.

“Why not?” I said, taking Batrille under my wing just 
as I’d done with Batski.

My dachshund, Orlando, was a bit jealous at first, but he’s since learnt to love the wombats almost as much 
as me. He doesn’t have 
much choice.

Trying to bottlefeed six 
while the other seven were running around the house kept me on my toes.

But I had to do it quickly so 
I made it to work on time.

Believe me, wombats are not muddle-headed! One of my babies, Tink, has even figured out how 
to climb into the bath with me!

As word of my work has spread, I’ve become known as the Wombat Lady.

Some people even plan trips to the island to come 
and visit me and 
my brood, especially after 
one of my furry charges, Derek, went viral.

It costs $300 a month to look after them all, but I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can. I can’t imagine life without them.

To support Kate’s work 
visit www.gofundme.com/flinders-island-wombats

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