Monga the wombat was rescued near Mongarlowe. Weighing in at 34 kilograms the wild wombat, despite having a dislocated elbow and fractured wrist as a result of a motor vehicle accident, had no wish to be rescued and put up a real fight, which involved wrecking two nets, and bruising his rescuers.
However, unable to dig a burrow because of his injuries, Monga was vulnerable to predators such as marauding dogs. The veterinarian relocated the elbow and reduced and splinted the fracture .Initially Monga did not take kindly to his confined in-care surroundings, or to his splinted wrist, and he became depressed ,refused to eat and lost weight.The decision was made to syringe feed him.Initially Monga had to be held while he was syringe fed but he soon developed a liking for this tucker.It became one of Roemary’s great pleasures to syringe feed Monga then attempt to wipe his face without losing a finger and have a tug of war with him using the towel . Monga also loved this game and so the syringe feeding and tug of war continued long after Monga had regained his appetite for grass.As is the case with many injured wombats they thrive once they develop a trust of and bond with their carer.
Releasing a rehabilitated wild adult wombat is not an easy task, not least because they are wild and large. An ideal release site, where there is easy digging, a good water supply, other wombats, an existing unoccupied burrow, but no mange or dogs, is not easy to find. With the help of a wildlife-friendly landowner near where he was initially rescued, Monga was released. As he left his transport box and moved towards the hole he stopped, turned and looked back at us as if to say thank you and good bye.That moment is still vivid in our memory. It hard to say good bye to a friend. Monga has settled successfully and happily into his new home in beautiful ,safe bush near a clear, sparkling creek.
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