Meet Tink the Wombat—Derek’s successor
Tink almost snoozing
Just over a year ago, a video clip of Derek (or Derrick) the Wombat brought fame to Flinders Island, off the northeast coast of Australia’s state of Tasmania.
Guess what? Derek has grown up and moved into the bush. Teenage wombats can be quite aggressive. Nevertheless, he stops back at Kate Mooney’s rural home often and even lets himself in by the ‘dog’ door. April and May, two other orphaned wombats reared by Mooney, also drop by, but now Tink rules the house.
She—I think Tink is a she—in the latest resident at Mooney’s home, and we were lucky enough to go around to her place for lunch the other day.
I knelt down to photograph Tink and she scurried over to create her own ‘cubby house’ between my calves
Tink craves human contact and immediately endeared herself to us, snuggling between our feet and legs, and even attacking Poor John’s feet.
It was a real privilege to get to know this young beast and know that she’ll survive to rule the bush.
Mooney is often known as the Wombat Lady of Flinders Island. Her 40-hectare farm is a refuge for wombats that have lost their mothers, usually because they’ve been hit by a car. We were stunned to see how many wallabies and wombats on Flinders end up as roadkill on the island.
Thank goodness Mooney steps up to help some of them survive.
Here are two links to articles and videos about Derek and Mooney. You can find more on Google. You might also find a way to donate to Mooney’s efforts.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-09/derek-baby-wombat-bringing-tourists-to-flinders-island/8338768
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2016/03/derek-the-baby-wombat-melts-hearts
Tink thinks Poor John’s feet provide a perfect mattress
Where to next? 
That wombat is so cute! I have always liked wombats. I remember the children’s TV puppet show Tingha and Tucker. They had a wombat friend, called Willie. Then there was the real wombat on the Australian TV series, A Country Practice.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’ve been in Australia long enough to remember Fatso, the wombat on A Country Practice. It was a good reason to fall in love with them.
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Oh my so cute!
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Cute in overload. 🙂
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So adorable. One of our neighbors hand raised a Wally Wombat that lost its mum to the point where he didn’t want to leave and was as at home at their place as the dogs!
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That’s amazing because usually they grow up and want to be free. A real credit to their care for Wally.
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Australia fascinates us in the U.S. for many reasons, not the least all the unusual animals. Wombat rescue, wombat pet and wombat TV personality are certainly new to me.
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Yes, we do have a lot of unusual animals. Glad to have introduced you to wombats.
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Ohhh, so sweet!
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She is so cuddly too.
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It’s so interesting to know about animal, which I never would have known. I guess, it only in Australia and New Zealand. Not the rest of the world.
For me, it’s a new discovery.
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Glad you liked this new discovery. Just so you know, wombats are native only to Australia. In other countries, they live in zoos.
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Wow, you got plenty of animals which are not to seen anywhere else. A good population of it.
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We are very lucky here.
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So cute! And how lucky to be able to get so up close and personal with one! I had friends years ago who lived on a rural property about an hour from Canberra who had a pet wombat. I think it’s the only time I’ve seen one.
Alison
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They are such fun to watch—like little bulldozers rumbling along.
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What an amazing thing to do, it’s heartening to read such a story! Cute little gal she is too, and Tink is a very funky name! x
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She is a cutie. Many people in Australia are wildlife carers and rescuers. They help the victims of car accidents, fire, flood and the like to recover, and return to the bush.
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Very cute Peggy. 🙂
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Thanks Terry. Hope you have a great day.
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Tink is so adorable. I would willingly have her snuggle on my feet!
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It would be great to have two—one for each foot. 🙂
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I can totally feel the fuzziness.
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Maybe it’s just that my toes are cold right now, but I am deeply envious of that wombat placement.
Now I just need to find something cuddly and nocturnal to warm up my bed then get out when it’s my turn. Now that’s symbiosis.
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Ah yes, something warm and cuddly at night is just the thing.
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Tink would be welcome to my feet too. It is 3c right now in Bowral.
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Oh brrrr! We head back to Canberra today where I hear it was 0°C overnight. Ugh.
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Ohh, cuteness plus. And a very good foot warmer. Thanks Peggy. I love the cooler weather and Canberra is looking spectacular at the moment in its autumn finery. Safe trip home.
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Thanks Louise, on our way today.
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Tink looks like a great foot warmer. Really cute.
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She’s a wonderful foot warmer!
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I really want to have wombat so cute like that
thank you so much for nice sharing dear Peggy
Kisses
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You are most welcome. She is very, very cute. Kisses back to you.
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I had heard of wombats but this was my first real introduction to them. Tink is adorable…and clearly craves human contact!
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As they get older they usually like to branch out on their own. I wonder how Tink will go?
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Peggy, I have heard of wombats but have never seen one in the wild. Are they often orphaned and if so, why? ~James
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I’ve seen them in the wild several times. They are most likely to be orphaned when their mum has been hit by a vehicle. Rangers try to check all marsupial roadkill to see if the victim happens to be carrying a joey/baby. Dead wombats are rolled onto their backs and often marked with an X to indicate they have been checked.
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Tink is really a cutie, Peggy 🙂
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And very cuddly. She liked being held in my arms.
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What a great feet warmer!! Like fuzzy slippers…so cute.
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And she is very, very soft.
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She looks it.
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What more can I say? But Tink is so cute again. What a treat that you could meet her. My only addition to the wombat conversation would be a favourite with my children, the book “Sebastian Lives in a Hat” by Thelma Catterwell and illustrated by Kerry Argent. Still in print after 30 years. Sebastian was also orphaned when his mother was hit by a car and was found in her pouch. Which I guess is something that would be new to non Aussie readers too. Keep ’em coming Peggy looking forward to more island stories. Oh and I couldn’t forget “One Woolly Wombat.” Louise
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Australia has some wonderful children’s books based on wombats. Stay tuned. I’m working on a post with birds.
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Wow! So cute and fluffy 🙂
Mo-hugs ❤
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And really soft too. Hugs back to you.
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Beautiful 🙂
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Aww so cute!!
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Really adorable.
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🙂
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The world needs more caring people like Mooney and Derek. And what a cute reward for their selfless effort.
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Well put. It is a wonderful reward.
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Precious. A wildlife creature bonding with humans proves to me that they have souls. I find that Australia and New Zealand abound with animals that exist nowhere else on earth. They fascinate me. Just like Aussies and Kiwis, the nearly all the animals are as friendly. Wonderful post.
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Thanks so much. Being islands—and remote ones at that—Australia and New Zealand are blessed wit4h some amazing creatures.
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The wombat is adorable.
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She is a cutie.
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Oh my G.O.S.H. He is just adorable. He rules already! Knowing me, were I in your place I would have flailed from his fur tickling my calves…and, you know, being an animal I don’t know so I’m still goofily weirded out. Come to think, I’d probably act a lot like my sons around dogs: they want to “see” the dogs, be “near” the dogs, but the second a dog initiates contact they freak out and run off screaming (I don’t think I would with the wombat, for the record.). Despite this, Blondie is determined that we get a pet dog. It’s…yeah, it’s a bit nutty here. 🙂
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Those circumstances sound a bit nutty, but that doesn’t really surprise me.
I still remember when we got our first dog in Australia. I’ve always had pets, and even took a dog and cat on our various postings, but the quarantine rules were so strict for Australia that we never brought them here.
When we got back from Burma, the girls nagged, off and on, for a dog. Then one day, totally out of the blue, Poor John said ‘Oh, I give up, let’s go to the RSPCA and see about a dog’. It took us all by surprise because no one had mentioned dogs for about a week. We came home with Barney the Boofhead, a gorgeous boxer cross that we had for 14 years.
So I’m here quietly cheering Blondie on.
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🙂 I grew up with a dog, as did Bo, so we wouldn’t mind one, either. Unlike my in-laws, who spent FOUR DIGITS on pure-bred yorkies that are absolutely awful (one bit two of my kids when they were just babies), I’d love to give a rescue dog a good home. I just don’t want to pick up more than one kind of poop if I can help it, so I’ve told Blondie we have to wait until the boys both use the potty decently…or when they’re 7, whichever comes first. 🙂 Besides, kids need to be old enough to contribute to the dog care, and that’s going to include poop duty!
The one snag in all this, though, are my neighbors. They have two dogs, and neither are collared, and they’re both pitbulls. They make me very, very nervous.
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Oh gosh, Jean, I can understand your concerns and hesitations on every level—even bending over to pick up poop.
Amazing the neighbours can get away with their dogs not being collared. That’s just plain thoughtless and potentially dangerous.
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This is entirely way too much cuteness!!😍
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I know—cute overload.
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Very nice!….
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Thanks, and so cute too.
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OMG! Too cute and too sweet!
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I know, so adorable.
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That’s a heartwarming little story, Peggy. I’ve never seen a wombat in real life, but Tink looks so cute and friendly, and evidently thinks Mooney’s home is where she belongs. Kate Mooney obviously has a way of inspiring trust in these little waifs and strays.
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Some friends visited Flinders Island last month and had the chance to visit Mooney’s home and see the current set of orphaned baby wombats.
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