“Getting to her was a nightmare.”
Earlier this month, heavy rains swept across New South Wales, Australia, sending a wombat scrambling for shelter. She darted into a large concrete drain, hoping to stay dry—but as the water rose, the wombat soon found herself almost completely submerged.
While wombats are capable swimmers, WoofPurNay Veterinary Hospital notes that these nocturnal burrowers generally avoid water when possible. To this wombat, the drain must have seemed like a familiar safe space—similar to the underground burrows she’s used to.
Fortunately, the drain was located next to a Navy airfield. An alert officer spotted the struggling wombat and contacted Phil Donovan, a maintenance worker at the base and a licensed wildlife rescuer with Mudgeroo Wombat and Wildlife Refuge.
Phil quickly assessed the situation and called his wife, Belinda, a wildlife veterinary nurse. They estimated the wombat had been trapped for several hours.
“We could see her, but reaching her was nearly impossible,” Mudgeroo Wombat and Wildlife Refuge wrote on Facebook. “She was clawing at the concrete, slipping, and trying to avoid swallowing water. It was heartbreaking to watch.”
As the wombat grew exhausted and began shivering from the cold, it became clear that time was critical.
“We had to call in the troops,” Belinda told The Dodo. “The Navy base fire department arrived with two trucks and hoses to help.”
Using the fire hoses, the team created a strong current to guide the wombat out of the drain. Riding the water flow, she finally emerged, and Phil—drawing on 15 years of wildlife rescue experience—safely scooped her up.
“She was shaken and tired, but unharmed,” Mudgeroo Wombat and Wildlife Refuge reported.
After a quick drying and checkup, the wombat was released back into the wild. As a threatened species, the Donovans hope she can continue to live safely, burrow comfortably, and perhaps even raise a joey in the future.