Wombat burrows provide refuge from fires

Press/Media: Press / Media

Period22 May 2024

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • TitleWombat burrows provide refuge from fires
    Media name/outletAustralian Geographic
    Country/TerritoryAustralia
    Date22/05/24
    DescriptionAmid the devastation of the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, a story started doing the social media rounds claiming wombats were selflessly ushering fellow native wildlife into the safety of their burrows.

    Surrounded by catastrophic loss, it’s no surprise people shared the ‘good news story’ far and wide. Even Greenpeace New Zealand shared a (now-deleted) post at the time, stating: “Reports from Australia say that countless small animals have escaped death because wombats, unusually, opted to share their massive complex burrows.” Some reports stated that the animals have even been observed exhibiting “shepherding behaviour”.”
    Producer/Author Candice Marshall
    URLhttps://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2024/05/wombat-burrows-provide-refuge-from-bushfires/
    PersonsDale Nimmo