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Wombats require a special diet and a certain environment for their health, which is what we provide for them. This differs markedly from the environments that cats and dogs have. As an example, the native grasses in Australia contain high levels of silica (the base component of glass) which helps keep the teeth of wombats down (as they constantly grow). If wombats were sold as pets overseas, where would people be able to acquire this grass? Would people in Australia wishing to keep a wombat as a pet seriously make the effort to gather fresh native grass each night for their wombat?
Sadly, the normal scenario for a 'pet' wombat that is seen as problematic and tried to be raised as such, usually involves them being dumped back into the bush. This is probably with the mindset that the animal is from the bush in the first place, so put it back and it will be Ok. The chewing and the biting at home is becoming too much and the animal must go as it is being destructive (with people clearly not understanding the nature of the wombat). Would these animals survive? Probably not. They don't have the necessary bush skills to survive and have probably been molly coddled with chocolate biscuits, a comfy lounge and a nice dog basket (or bed) to sleep in. A burrow and native grasses to eat are probably at the other end of the spectrum.
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Darcy, your typical garden variety WMD (Wombat of Mass Destruction) in action demolishing the front garden sprinklers |
One other thing to bear in mind - the strain on a wombat which has been raised as a 'pet' causes it to go through a very traumatic time when handed over to the correct authorities to raise it, away from the people that it knows. The wombat has bonded to it's mother and father figures, and these animals do pine. There have been reported instances of wombats pining to death over missing 'loved ones'. If people had the best interest of the animal at heart, they would consider this and not cause the animal this trauma. The wombats that have been handed over to us eventually accept us but it's a stressful process for both the wombats and ourselves. You cannot explain to them that you are doing what is right for them in the long run.
Keeping a wombat as a pet within most states and territories in Australia is considered an offence without the proper authority. This could ultimately mean the confiscation of the animal (where it could be euthanased), and a fine to add insult to injury.
The sale of Australian native animals as pets is illegal within Australia, and is more than likely illegal throughout most places in the world. If you do find or know of such a place that sells wombats (or other native Australian wildlife), we would urge you not to buy Australian native animals as it only encourages this market (contact us and we will take matters further). A trip down to the local pound or animal shelter will show you that people as a whole have problems looking after domestic animals such as cats and dogs, let alone wild ones with special requirements.
Additional References
New South Wales WIRES (Wildlife Information & Rescue Service) also discourages native animals as pets.
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