Prague Zoo helps sick wombats in the wild

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Australia, Her Excellency Jana Tyrer, visited Darwin Crater—the home of Prague’s wombats—to mark the occasion of Prague Zoo’s financial support for the Australian non-profit organisation Wombat Rescue. Photo Oliver Le Que, Zoo Praha

Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo’s director, said, “We have given CZK 400,000 to support the protection of wild wombats. This money will go to Australia from our We Help Them Survive collection account. Fortunately, the common wombat is not yet on the Red List of Threatened Species and our goal is to keep it that way. The trio of ‘Prague’ wombats Cooper, Winkleigh and little Mersey are great ambassadors and also, thanks to them, we can help their wild relatives.”

A wild common wombat affected by sarcoptic mange or scabies. The blue dye indicates that the animal has already started treatment. Photo Wombat Rescue

The Wombat Rescue initiative primarily helps wombats infected with scabies, both for captured individuals and on a broader basis—including applying drugs to the entrances of wombat burrows. It further works with injured or orphaned wombats and provides awareness raising. This is because wombats are also threatened by road collisions, illegal hunting, urban sprawl and extreme natural events such as droughts, floods and fires.

Speaking at the zoo, Jana Tyrer, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Australia, said, “I am glad that we have managed to mediate this cooperation between Prague Zoo and the volunteer organisation Wombat Rescue, which also has Czech ex-pats among its ranks. It is fantastic to see how people from literally opposite sides of the planet can come together for a good cause. Nature conservation must cross national borders because preserving biodiversity and healthy ecosystems is in all of our interest.”

Construction of a special enclosure to release the wombats using the “soft release” method. Here the animal only returns to the wild when it is ready to do so. Pictured here, volunteers dig artificial wombat burrows. Photo Wombat Rescue

Wombat Rescue is a non-profit initiative that rescues about a hundred wombats from certain death every year. If their health permits, they are released back into the wild using the “soft release” method. This involves partially removing the fence around the special enclosure. The wombats can then return to this enclosure as they will until they are sure of themselves and leave the area definitively when they feel it is right. Thanks to Prague Zoo’s financial support, two more of these enclosures will be built.

A rescued wombat looking out from an artificial burrow built by Wombat Rescue. This individual is just a short step from returning to the wild. Photo Wombat Rescue