A baby wombat was spotted in its dead mother’s pouch.

WIRES member Olympia found a deceased adult female wombat on the side of the road, who appeared to have been hit by a car, and was otherwise healthy and without mange. 

The baby was about eight months old and had to be cut out of the pouch.

The baby was given to another carer, who had a similar size joey come into care the night before. The joeys will grow up and learn wombat behaviour together. before being released when they are old enough to survive independently in the wild. 

WIRES encourages members of the public, where safe, to check on any animals they hit with motor vehicles. Often animals are left alive with injuries, and joeys can survive for days once the mother is dead. 

Please see below photos (credit to Olympia Hendry)

Olympia removing the baby from the mothers pouch. 

Wombat joey inside mamas pouch