Rescued from her dead mother’s pouch, this ADORABLE orphaned baby wombat has been nurtured back to health and has taken the web by storm with her incredible cuteness!
Orphaned baby wombat Leah has become an internet sensation after her carer Kim Hunter shared these RIDICULOUSLY cute pictures of the tiny animal online.
Kim, 48, is a ranger with Parks Victoria based in Kingslake, Victoria, who generously donates her spare time working as a voluntary animal carer with Help for Wildlife Victoria and takes in wildlife in need into her own home.
Kim recently came to the rescue of the tiny wombat Leah when a passer-by called the local Help for Wildlife hotline. Leah was found by the roadside still nestled in the pouch of her dead mother who had been killed by a passing car.
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“People like myself often check the pouches of dead animals by the roadside, because although the mother may not have survived the hit, the baby could often survive inside,” Kim told Woman’s Day.
It was incredibly lucky that Kim got to Leah when she did as the tiny creature would have died within hours had no one rescued her. “Leah weighed only 300 grams when she arrived,” said Kim. “She’s very lucky, although she was uninjured she was cold to the touch and I’d say she was only a few hours away from dying.”
Luckily for little Leah, she has since doubled in size in the five weeks since Kim began to care for her and now weighs in at 600g. “She requires 24-hour care,” says Kim, who has to bottle-feed her every four hours – even though the night.
“Leah is just starting to grow her own fur but in the meantime I keep her on a heated mat,” she told Woman’s Day.
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Looking after such a dependent animal sure sounds like a lot of work! “But it’s definitely been worth it, we’ve built a strong bond over the weeks, she knows I’m her mum now,” says Kim.
Little Leah even seems to be showing her gratitude with what appears to be a big wide grin – the reason for her online popularity.
So will it be hard to say goodbye to the little Leah when she’s fully grown and ready to return to the wild? Kim said “Well, she’s not a pet! [Wombats] can get quite aggressive when they get older – she’s already starting to nip a bit”.
At only 600gs, Leah’s not a threat yet but she is a wild animal and is expected to grow up to 25kgs, so unfortunately she won’t be staying with her new mum Kim forever.
As a regular carer of wildlife in need though, Kim is used to helping animals in need and sending them on their way when they’re ready – current in her care are birds including kookaburras and magpies as well as possums and she even temporarily took in a little Joey this week too.
If you would like to help out volunteers like Kim, give Help for Wildlife a call on 0417 380 687 if you spot other wildlife in trouble in the area of Victoria, or help support them by visiting their website here to make a donation.
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