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Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat Joey out and about at Brookfield Zoo






Photo credit: Jim Schulz/Chicago Zoological Society


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In 1969, Brookfield Zoo received three Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombats and, in 1974, became the first zoo outside of Australia to successfully breed the species in professional care. Since then, there have been 16 successful Wombat births at Brookfield Zoo.

The Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat management program is supported of AZA’s Taxon Advisory Group, which develops recommendations for population management and conservation. CZS staff members worked closely with Zoos South Australia to develop the program and form an agreement with the Australian government. With Brookfield Zoo, other participating zoos are ABQ BioPark, Albuquerque, N.M.; Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens; Memphis Zoo; San Diego Zoo; Toledo Zoo; and Toronto Zoo.

Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombats are thick, heavy-bodied animals found in arid to semiarid savannah woodlands, grasslands, and low shrub plains in central southern Australia. They are about the size of a medium-size dog but are much more rounded and solidly built. Wombats have long claws, a stubby tail, a flattened head that looks too big for their body, and short, powerful legs. They use their long claws when digging warrens—complex, underground tunnel systems—that are the center of wombat life. Each warren is made up of several separate burrows. Wombats never wander too far from their warrens. Several Wombats may have their warrens near each other, forming a cluster. However, they rarely interact with each other. Currently, the wombat population in Australia is being threatened by habitat loss, drought, and agricultural practices.
