This bushfire season has brought untold hardship on Australia’s wildlife but the rescuing of animals by hardworking firefighters has brought some unexpected wholesomeness and levity to the disaster that’s gripping our country.
From wombats “actively herding” animals into their burrows to people providing bushfire-ravaged koalas with some much needed water, this show of solidarity between animals and humans is something we really need right now.
Unfortunately, those wholesome stories aren’t as sweet or as honest as what they appear to be on the surface.
Starting the wombat story, someone tweeted an image of a wombat accompanied with the caption, “Apparently wombats in fire effected areas are not only allowing other animals to take shelter in their deep, fire-resistant burrows but are actively herding fleeing animals into them. We’re seeing more leadership and empathy from these guys than the entire Federal government,” which went viral.
The source of this information appears to have originated from Greenpeace NZ, which shared an Instagram post claiming that wombats were going around sheltering other small animals from the bushfires, as well as anecdotal information on how animals escape into wombat burrows to avoid danger.
As wholesome as the thought of wombats sharing their burrows with other animals is, this story is sadly more than likely false.
Wombats are known to be incredibly territorial and would not take too kindly to other animals crashing their burrows. Furthermore, wombat burrows themselves are complex with multiple entrances and sub-tunnels, meaning that the animal would’ve likely stumbled upon the burrow by accident rather than be invited in by a wombat.
Researchers are saying (via The Brisbane Times) that it is more than likely that animals sought shelter from the bushfires in an abandoned burrow rather than be invited in, and that this whole wombat sharing its burrow story is almost certainly not true, or at least there’s no evidence supporting the claim.
As for the koala story, you’ve probably seen several videos and photos of koalas being fed water from bottles after being rescued from the bushfires.
While this is a heartwarming image, it turns out that feeding koalas water through a drink bottle is a one-way street to the pearly gates.
According to animal experts from the RSPCA (via 7News), drinking from a drink bottle isn’t natural for koalas and the water can be “aspirated,” meaning that the water ends up getting into the lungs and drowning the poor animal.
If you find yourself in a situation where a koala is in desperate need of a drink, the RSPCA recommends that you offer them water in a container or even from your hands so they can lap at it. In short, definitely don’t pour water down their throats from a bottle no matter how thirsty they are.
We all need a bit of good news and levity right now given the severity of the bushfires, but it is also important to clarify facts whenever possible and make sure that accurate information is being conveyed due to all the bogus bushfire news that’s going around.
Always be in the loop with our snackable podcast breaking the biggest story of the day. Subscribe to It’s Been A Big Day For… on your favourite podcast app.