Wombats, if you’re unfamiliar with them, are a rather adorable critter that are native to Australia. They somewhat resemble a koala bear, although they can be very aggressive when necessary.
I find wombats to be quite cute, despite their ability to be ferocious, and although I didn’t think I needed any more incentive to appreciate these guys, it just so happens that they’re being praised in Australia for discovering water in a drought, says an article from The Good News Network.
“In New South Wales, local wombats are helping dozens of other species find water as the country sizzles under severe drought.
“The cuddly-looking animals invaded Ted Finnie’s beef farm and began tunneling underground to a hidden water source, local news reports.
“According to ABC Australia, the farm sits 19 miles (30 kilometers) down the Hunter Valley—which has only seen a pinch of rain over the past three years.
“After such a long period, the wombats’ relentless tunneling had created a crater 20 meters (65.6 feet) in diameter and four meters (13 feet) deep,” the article explains.
The article details how Hunter Region Landcare Network planted a camera at the discovered water source and the footage it captured revealed that plenty of other animals, in addition to the wombats, had been taking advantage of the recently found H2O, for example, “birds, goannas, possums, echidnas, and emus.”
The most interesting bit? Wombats aren’t exactly known to dig solely in search of water.
“Amazingly, there has never been a recorded instance of wombats digging for water, says biologist Julie Old, who began studying the site. Wombats dig their burrows in the side of creeks or small ditches under trees, where the roots will add to the stability of the burrow. The Wombat Soak has none of these properties,” the article says.
Let’s hear it for the wombats.
ontheedgeofeverything 