The care of injured or orphaned animals can be a 24/7 job. Goulburn Wires member Lauren Baldock knows this all too well.
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It is a routine most parents are only too familiar with: getting up in the middle of the night to feed the baby. It is the same for Lauren Baldock. Every morning at 2am the 27-year-old crawls out of bed to warm the bottle. But her 'baby' is not a hungry infant but a little wombat.
"'Misty' is her name," says Ms Baldock, office manager at Goulburn's tax and advisory firm Jigsaw, sitting in her office chair and holding the un-furred marsupial.
The little animal is snuggled up in a warm blanket.
"I always have to take her with me because she has to be fed five to six times a day," she explains.
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Lauren Baldock is Goulburn's very own wombat mum - one of several such highly specialised volunteers - and it's nearly a full-time job.
"My whole world revolves around wombats," she says.
For well over a year Ms Baldock has been a member of the wildlife rescue and care organisation WIRES. During this time, she has already become an expert in the care of so called 'pinkies,' baby wombats who have lost their mothers and need to be cared for and fed by humans in order to survive. She also looks after older animals and supervises other carers with wombats of different ages and condition.
"I have always had a passion for animals, especially native ones, and I always had a soft spot for wombats," Ms Baldock said.
She joined WIRES "to see how much time of my life I can give these animals. And now they have basically become my life," she laughs. Ms Baldock stresses that "wombats' importance in the ecosystem is underestimated." They play an important role in nature, because "they turn the soil over and provide fertiliser for the growth of vegetation."
Lauren Baldock is also treating a variety of injuries wombats can suffer from, and of course this most horrific of conditions - mange. This is an infestation caused by a parasite with the scary Latin name of Sarcoptes scabiei. The females of this tiny mite burrows into the skin of wombats, where it lays eggs. These then hatch and cause the host animal significant discomfort and pain. Over weeks and months plaque-like scabs and ridges form on the wombat's body. They often dry out and split open. These wounds can then become flyblown and infected, leading to immense suffering. The scabs can cover the wombat's eyes, so the animals lose their eyesight.
Many eventually die either from starvation or as a result of the infection. While it is more humane to euthanize a severely infected animal, lesser affected wombats can be treated by pouring specially made lotion onto the skin. Though this is difficult and time-consuming work, the reward for carers and rescuers is great when they can bring an animal back to health.
Ms Baldock also rescues wombats that have been attacked and injured by other animals - even their own.
"In an average month we have anything between one and 10 wombats come through the Southern Tablelands branch of Wires, based in Goulburn," Ms Baldock said.
A major source of 'pinkies' she and other members of Wires are caring for are animals whose mother have been killed or injured in a collision with a car. Depending on the temperature and time of the year and if the babies are not severely injured, such juveniles can survive in their dead mum's pouch for several days. That is why every driver after a collision should check if an animal is dead and - if female - she does not carry a joey in her pouch. If help is needed, drivers should call Wires on 1300 094 737. They should always and mark the spot where the animal is located with a piece of cloth or a bag, so a WIRES volunteer rescuer can find it quickly.
It is illegal to deliberately kill or harm wombats. Lauren Baldock is totally against any moves by certain groups to allow wombats being kept as pets. She warns that "wombats don't look it, but they can be ferocious. Just try to corner one and then treat him for an illness or injury. I can tell you: they are neither cute nor cuddly".
Want to join Wires?
The care of wombats and other native animal by volunteers is strictly regulated by law. Only authorised and trained members of recognised wildlife care organisations are permitted to look after native animals in need.
If you are thinking of joining Wires, go to the following website: https://www.wires.org.au/rescue/become-a-rescuer. If you live in the Goulburn region you would join Wires Southern Tablelands.
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There are three species of wombats in Australia: the common wombat, northern hairy-nosed wombat and southern hairy-nosed wombat. The common wombat occupies coastal and high-country areas in south-eastern Australia, including the Southern Tablelands, whereas the hairy-nosed wombats are more arid-adapted.
Wombats are marsupials and can weigh up to 36 kilograms. They are mostly nocturnal and feed mainly on grass and roots. Their closest relative is the koala. Wombats dig up to 30 metres long burrows, often with dozens of entrances. When they sense danger they escape to their burrow and block entry by positioning their rump outward. Their butt is armoured and contains very few nerve endings. So, if they are bitten by an attacking dog, they hardly feel it. Wombats can run at 40 km/hour.
- Urs Walterlin is a Goulburn-based foreign correspondent and WIRES volunteer.
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