Captive Wombat Behaviour

by Brigitte Stevens

Behavioural rehabilitation of the wombat is lengthy and not always successful. Authorities need to understand that not all animals are suitable for display and must be placed accordingly.

When working with wombats in captivity it is important to understand that wombats remember the people that have influenced their lives AS WELL AS a life they have once lived. A fellow director of WAO and I have witnessed this theory many many times.

Example 1: I worked with Gizmo, an aggressive 13 year old male Southern Hairy Nosed wombat who is now in our care. When this park closed, Gizmo was placed elsewhere. I visited Gizmo on occasions in which he demonstrated obvious signs of recognition. No tasks were performed until two years later when he was given back to us, he performed tasks that only he and I knew.

Example 2: My fellow director raised a Southern Hairy Nosed wombat for a zoo. This wombat never showed signs of affection to any other person, rather choosing to communicate with others using only her teeth! To this day that wombat still remembers her surrogate mother and displays love and contentment in her presence. Luckily this wombat is in one of the few facilities with the wombats needs in mind.

Techniques utilised in the raising of wombats bound for a life in captivity

The next two examples are methods that we have found to be the most different techniques in hand raising wombats for a captive life. There are mediums, however, it is virtually impossible to determine an outcome for these. The wombats that we have observed have been raised by either of these two techniques.

If you are currently or about to raise a wombat for captivity, do not follow these examples as their techniques listed here are only an outline. You can become a member and contact us if any more information is required.

Method 1: Wombats raised in this method get to see life in a more natural light. Their lives are exciting, doted on by their surrogates who generally encourage natural behaviour like digging, playing and exploring. When the wombat is removed from this environment and placed in a new one that is less exciting the wombat can sink into depression and start developing stereotypic behaviours. Whilst sucking on the hand is normal in orphans even in the early stages of weaning I have witnessed an adult female Bare Nosed wombat still performing this as a form of self comforting at the age of seven. In this particular case I am recommending the animal be removed from the current environment and rehabilitated. 

RSPCA has set legislations for domestic animals, not only must they be provided with fresh food and water but they must be provided with adequate shelter, mental and physical stimulation. The intelligence of the wombat has been likened to that of a dog by many yet their emotional wellbeing of such wombats is still being ignored. Currently I am applying that a committee be established to monitor and enforce the same legislations amongst institutions that house such wombats. 

Method 2:   A particular wombat program in South Australia raises orphaned wombats very differently. The wombats are kept in a small confined area.  Interaction is limited to feeding time only and natural behaviours like playing or digging aren't encouraged. 

To be honest this method has upset me as the life of these wombats does not mimic anything from nature, however, once these wombats are introduced to an enclosure they experience new everything. They seem to know no better and generally are more settled and content in their new environment. Territorial aggression is still present but not as common and the development of stereotypic behaviours is  almost nil.

Results

The minimum requirements for housing wombats are 347.82 times smaller than the minimum home range of a wild wombat. This for starters makes it almost impossible to house an emotionally and physically satisfied animal. Aside from this I would recommend that a) the enclosure be as large as possible

                                                b) exploration of other areas can be accessed

                                                c) only wombats raised by method 2 be allowed in                                                     zoos

This research that we have performed was purely observational. We have discovered that hand raising techniques are vital to the adult temperament and development of both species of captive wombat.