After months of recuperating at the Australian Reptile Park, Poppy the wombat begins her journey to return to the wild.
Arriving in late 2021 and weighing just 3kg, Poppy arrived after her mother was hit by a car and she was found on the side of the road.
The little wombat was nursed back to health receiving round-the-clock care from the loving keepers at the Central Coast wildlife park, and soon became a viral sensation with videos of Poppy amassing over three million views on social media.
Hewin Hochkins, Head Mammals Keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, said they are sad to see Poppy go, who has such a beautiful personality and loves a cuddle.
“It was really hard saying goodbye to her, but I know that she’s in good hands at Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue. They’ll be there every step of the way to guide her back to living life as a wild wombat.
“Thanks to Poppy and her rise to fame, she was a huge ambassador to Australian wildlife. It is so important for Australians and international audiences to see just how glorious our native wildlife is – Australia has the fastest mammal extinction rate in the world. Australian wildlife needs this kind of exposure to help people fall in love wildlife so they can join us by helping protect it.”
Poppy is now living at Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue, where she is currently residing in a large enclosure before she will eventually be released into a safe, semi-wild habitat and able to live out her little wombat life.
Image: Australian Reptile Park