We know that all kinds of animals enjoy being pampered. Some animals that have been raised around people would be lost without their human friends. Sure most times you may think that only a cat, dog, or small pet rodent would feel sad if they didn’t get their much needed attention, but maybe some other animals also crave the lovins!
The animal news story I saw today fell into the “Poor lil guy needs love” category but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
Have you ever seen a wombat? Unless you have seen one in a zoo you may not have ever laid eyes on one. They only live naturally in Australia so that cuts me out of having one in my yard.
These animals are the 2nd largest burrowing marsupial. No they don’t look anything like a kangaroo that you may picture when hearing the word marsupial (although their back legs are longer than their front legs). They kind of look like a bear. Wombats are short and stocky with a little nub like tail that you may not even notice. Since they are diggers, their front legs and shoulders are very strong and they have claws! They weigh about 55 pounds and are over 3 feet long.
Ok, now that you an idea about what a wombat is…would you ever think that this animal could become depressed from lack of attention from humans? They sound pretty self sufficient to me. Well, if a wombat was raised by humans and was accustomed to be the star attraction at a zoo…then maybe it would suffer from lack of attention.
Check out the story Wombat diagnosed with depression from ‘lack of hugs’ after cyclone wrecks animal sanctuary. It tells how after a cyclone a wombat named Tonka has had a terrible issue with ‘I’m not getting spoiled’. You will see by the pictures in the story that he is a real cutie and of course he deserves attention. Although wombats are normally solitary animals, Tonka is clearly not a loner.
As a public service message…I would not go out and find a wild wombat to hug! I’m thinking that most wombats would not be a huggable as Tonka. ;-)
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