COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus has its first wombat.
After a 12-year process, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium adopted a 15-month-old southern hairy-nosed wombat named Glen on Nov. 4, only the fifth zoo in North America to house this species.
Glen had been adapting to his new habitat in private for the past two weeks but officially went on view at the Zoo’s Australia and the Islands region exhibit on Wednesday.
Like kangaroos and opossums, wombats are marsupials. They are losing their habitats in southern and western Australia due to agricultural developments and drought and zoos have collaborated with the Australian government to protect the animals, but complying with the Australian ambassador agreement takes time and then zoos may have to wait several years before being able to adopt a wombat, says Shannon Morarity, assistant curator of the Australia and the Islands region.
The process ensures that a zoo has the proper space and that its keepers have wombat-specific training.
Glen’s habitat gives him lots of opportunities to dig. Wombats are called “bulldozers of the bush” because they live underground in complex tunnel systems, called warrens, where they can avoid the heat in their semi-arid native lands. Mighty excavators, as many as 10 wombats may live in a single warren though they lead solitary lives. They usually interact with their neighbors only to reproduce.
Wombats have a reputation for being ornery and aggressive but Moriarty says Glen “is very laid back and extremely curious.”