An orphaned wombat joey has celebrated her first birthday. To celebrate, Lizzie, a resident at the Australian Reptile Park was treated to a massive bouquet of fresh grass for her to munch on, along with a nice bottle of warm milk.
Lizzie also partied with her friend Ash the koala in one of the Koala yard’s at the park and was showered with lots of love from Keeper Tahrnia, receiving all the cuddles and scratches she could ever want. After a long day of partying and doing ‘zoomies’, Lizzie was spotted curled up on Keeper Tahrnia’s lap and having a snooze.
Unfortunately, the cute joey didn’t have an easy start to life. In September, Lizzie was found in her mum’s pouch by a passer-by on the side of the road after her mum was hit and killed by a car.
Suddenly alone in the world, Lizzie was brought to the Australian Reptile Park where zookeeper Hayley Shute became her new carer and surrogate mum, providing the adorable wombat with around the clock care (including a bottle feed at 3am) and the cuddles she craved. From her strength to survive the ordeal, the keepers at the park named the strong little wombat after Her Royal Majesty as a tribute to another strong female who left a lasting impression on the entire world.
For now, Lizzie will remain at the Australian Reptile Park for roughly 12 months. At this stage, it will be decided if she is strong enough to be released to the wild.
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