Prague Zoo’s Young Wombat Is a Female

The young wombat is already trying solid food. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Speaking at the event, Ondřej Sokol joked: “I ran my finger over a map of Australia and found a place called Barunga. It sounded quite exotic to me; however, I also feel it resembles the Czech name Barunka, possibly from Božena Němcová’s novel Babička (The Grandmother).” He went on to recall that he developed his fondness for wombats years ago, when, during a television competition, he was surprised to discover that they had cube-shaped droppings. He added: “My words at the time, although quite risqué, have ended up on Prague Zoo’s T-shirts. It’s an honour for me.”

The best time for visitors to see Barunga is around 2 p.m., when the joey’s mother, a seven-year-old female named Winkleigh, comes out to feed. The joey, who was most likely born at the beginning of June last year and first peeked out of the pouch in December, has already left her mother’s pouch, but still stays close to her and will continue to do so for several more months.

Introducing the little wombat. Pictured: keeper David Vala, actor and presenter Ondřej Sokol, and Prague Zoo’s spokesperson Filip Mašek. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo.

The youngster’s father, a five-year-old male named Cooper, can also be seen in the exhibit. He replaced his first-born daughter, a female named Mersey, in the first enclosure as visitors walk around the exhibit. A few weeks ago, she left for ZooParc de Beauval in France, following a recommendation from the European coordinator of wombat breeding. Mersey has settled into the custom-made exhibit there and, by all accounts, is doing very well in her new home.

Prague Zoo started keeping wombats at the end of 2021. These popular marsupials are much-loved not only because of their appealing appearance, but also due to their unique cube-shaped droppings. Prague Zoo keeps the Tasmanian subspecies of the common wombat, which is smaller, has thicker fur and is therefore hardier than mainland wombats.