The Story of our Bean Bag

Bean Bag: a 12 month old Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat was shot five times and left for dead. It is not unusual for wombats to be used as targets for cruel entertainment, nor is it unusual for these intelligent creatures to be buried alive or inhumanely treated. Culling, legal and illegal is real and happening everyday. Bean Bag has shown us it is time to stop and protect our wildlife, protect our wombats and treat them with the right to freedom...and the right to live.

It was by sheer luck that we stumbled across him, beaten, skinny and wandering aimlessly around the tough South Australian outback. We were on our mission to save mange wombats on a remote Station when his appearance baffled us. Although there was no very obvious signs of mange, Bean Bag looked poor, scruffy with a huge bald patch on his backside and failed to try and avoid being caught. Frank our number one wombat catcher walked over 100 metres to simply put our net over his head and picked him up. Frank then observed abscesses on his back and shoulders, sent pictures via his mobile back to the ICU where the decision was made to bring him back for further assessment and treatment.

Bean Bag simply looked like he was the victim of territorial aggression and due to his age, was just trying to find a home of his own. He also had the initial infestation of mange and was placed on a seven day course of antibiotics to clear up his multitude of infections.

Within a few days, the abscesses reduced dramatically in size and within the core of the infections were substances much resembling wombat teeth which would coincide with his condition. The decision was made to receive veterinary assistance to remove in particular the item from his spine. This is where Bean Bag's story and future changed dramatically. A .22 caliber bullet was removed within millimetres from his spine, another four bullets lodged in his shoulders and chest. Due to their close proximity to the Sarcoptic mange infestation, it was decided to delay their removal until Bean Bag's condition had improved.

Bean Bag is now recovering at our Wombat Intensive Care Unit in the Murraylands of South Australia where he spends most of the time sleeping in a specially designed bed with built in heating. He only spends around two hours a night walking around eating in our three acre recovery enclosure. As for the future, we are left to question. This example not only brings culling into reality but highlights our need to protect wombats and provide a safe release site for the wombats we thrive to save. To see more photo's of Bean Bag, click here!

Help Bean Bag!

You can assist Bean Bag by providing support for his rehabilitation and our rescue service to save others just like him or  provide a safe place for him to return to.

Please donate to the Bean Bag Appeal today!