The Australian Reptile Park has recently welcomed with open arms another little addition to their ever-growing family – a seven month old orphaned wombat joey named Bucky. The tiny joey was rescued from the side of the road after his mother was hit by a car before being handed to the Australian Reptile Park for further care.
Bucky, the wombat joey requires around-the-clock care, including a bottle feed at 2am, as he is only seven months old. Keeper Ellesha Veness has taken on the role of surrogate mother to the joey, providing him with the love and care he needs to thrive.
Keeper Ellesha says of the new addition “I feel so lucky to be looking after Bucky. When I met him for the first time I instantly fell in love. One of the first things I noticed was his little buck teeth, so it only felt right to name him after them and call him ‘Bucky’.”
Not much is known of Buckys parents but Ellesha noted that, “He was tiny when I got him and the first few weeks of care was critical as it’s hard to know if he had been exposed to disease, or was malnourished. We’ve been monitoring him closely and he’s growing up so well.”
Ms Veness goes on to explain “Cars are one of the biggest threats to our Aussie wildlife and this is why Bucky is safest in our care. With so many people now out on the roads coming up the Christmas, we are calling for people to slow down. Too many animals are killed by vehicles each year and if we all took a little more care, we can decrease the number dramatically!”
For now, Bucky will remain in Ellesha's care for roughly 12 months. Once it is decided if he is healthy and strong enough, he will be released back into the wild. Visitors can book in to get a photo or have an encounter with Bucky from tomorrow, Friday 22nd.
