Wombat Rescue

MAN RESCUES BABY WOMBATS FROM MOTHERS LOST ON ROAD

WITH VID
By Tim Tong

Watch the emotional moment a man rescues not one, but two tiny wombat joeys after their mothers were tragically struck by vehicles on a freezing, foggy night.

Brett Ritchie, from Bungendore, Australia, filmed the clip showing Luna, the first joey, being gently removed from her late mother's pouch and placed into a warm bag. Brett received the call around 11pm from Wombat Rescue, was told a live joey may have survived the incident.

Battling -1°C temperatures and thick fog, Brett located the mother wombat with a small leg poking out of the pouch. After safely removing Luna, they found a second deceased wombat 20 metres up the road—and another joey, later named Layla, still inside.

Without the right tools to free her, Brett carefully transported the mother and joey home. Hours later, using proper scissors, Brett were able to extract Layla, who weighed just 88 grams, and place her into a warmed pouch with a heat pad.

Posted on Instagram, it quickly gathered over 240,000 views, with commentors praising Brett’s compassion and quick action that gave two orphaned wombats a second chance.

Brett said: “We headed out and followed the pinned location in probably the worst conditions for night driving.”
Brett added: “Layla was very cold, but we got her into a bag with a heat pad and over to Wombat Rescue to go into an incubator.”
“Layla weighed just 88 grams.”