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Joeys playing around

The newest members of the northern hairy-nosed wombat colony are enjoying life above the burrow and out of the pouch.

The joeys in this vision are approximately 12–13 months old and are becoming more active.

The video shows the one joey appearing to be very playful with its mother, with the mother eventually rolling down a hill.

A second joey is walking around the edge of the burrow and receives a gentle nudge from the mother.

This is the first time that images of northern hairy-nosed wombat joeys interacting with each other have been recorded at the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge. The infrared cameras allow rangers to observe the development and behaviours of the joeys. This will assist rangers in understanding the species and bringing them back from the brink of extinction.

View the video of the joey on DERM's YouTube channel.

Second joey is out and about

Second joey out of the burrow with its mother

Second joey out of the burrow with its mother

Images of a second wombat joey at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge have been recorded. The second wombat joey was seen to be playful and interacting with its mother on its maiden journey above ground outside the pouch.

In this footage you can see how the mother and joey interact with each other. The joey can be seen running around the mother and in and out of the burrow. The mother responds to the joey’s playful demeanour.

View the video of the joey on DERM's YouTube channel.

Landmark occasion - Joey leaves burrow for first time!

Joey leaves the burrow for the first time at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge

Joey leaves the burrow for the first time at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge

After months of waiting it is with great excitement that the first northern hairy-nosed wombat joey born at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge has emerged from the burrow and taken its first steps above ground. On the night of 3 October 2011 the infrared monitoring cameras captured this event. This is the first time the first emergence of a northern hairy-nosed pouch young has been captured on film. The joey emerged from the burrow just two weeks after its mother was first seen leaving the burrow without it in her pouch. It appeared quite at ease with its new surroundings, having a scratch and investigating the area around the burrow entrance while mum grazed nearby. The second pouch young at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge is now very large and it won’t be long until it leaves the pouch and becomes the newest member of the reintroduced colony.

View the video of the joey on DERM's YouTube channel.

First joey of the new colony has left the pouch but still hiding in the burrow!

In September 2011 both of the female wombats with expanding pouches were observed socialising together. The joeys started displaying signs of movement, with one even protruding a leg out of the pouch! Soon after this burst of activity, one of the females was seen leaving her burrow with a much smaller pouch. This means that the first northern hairy-nosed wombat joey born into the reintroduced colony at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge has left the pouch. Like the southern hairy-nosed and common wombats, it is expected that the joey will remain in the burrow for a couple of months, with the female returning to the burrow frequently to feed the joey. It is anticipated that in a few months time the joey will emerge from the burrow to follow mum until weaned. You can watch footage of the growing pouches on the DERM's YouTube channel.

Baby boom at Epping Forest National Park

Mother and joey at Epping Forest National Park

Mother and joey at Epping Forest National Park

The high rainfall in the recent wet season has resulted in lush pastures and contributed to a positive response in the northern hairy-nosed wombat population. Remote cameras set up at burrows on Epping Forest National Park (Scientific) are providing good evidence of a number of new births. The cameras are regularly capturing footage of females with large pouches, females with young-at-foot, or juveniles. This growth in the population at Epping Forest National Park (Scientific) is exactly the results that we need while we are establishing the new population at the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge.

Two wombat births in the reintroduced colony!

Two northern hairy-nosed wombats with bulging pouches

Two northern hairy-nosed wombats with bulging pouches

In March 2011 it was confirmed that one of the female wombats was carrying a joey in her pouch. This was followed by news in April 2011 of a second female carrying a joey. The former Environment Minister Kate Jones said, “The birth of one of our endangered animals is always good news but two babies in less than one month is more than we could have hoped for”. These births are significant milestones, and indicate that the reintroduction project has achieved the right conditions at Richard Underwood Nature Refuge to allow the wombats to breed. You can watch footage of one of the females with her bulging pouch on the DERM's YouTube channel.

How did the wombats fare in the floods?

Northern hairy-nosed wombat outside burrow Photo: DERM

Northern hairy-nosed wombat outside burrow Photo: DERM

Fortunately, the floods that devastated much of Queensland in recent months did not affect the wombats. In March 2010, flood waters hit St George, but did not enter the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge. In January 2011, the Belyando River broke its banks and flooded Fox Creek beside Epping Forest National Park (Scientific). On Monday 3 January a small amount of water entered the park, but did not reach any of the habitat that is used by the wombats. At St George the flood waters did not peak at 14 metres as predicted, and the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge was unaffected.

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Last updated 22 December 2011

Wombat videos

Infra red video

Northern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii

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