Several viral posts claim that wombats have been shepherding other animals into burrow during the Australian wildfires. But surprise! The Internet isn’t correct, at least not entirely.
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. pic.twitter.com/LGcpSu9x0M
— 💧Riff Raff (@RichardAOB) January 11, 2020
Wombats Don’t Shepherd
The wombats, according to social media, are acting as rescue workers for other animals. According to these posts, the wombats are actively herding animals into and sharing their “fire-resistant” burrows. Some posts even imply the animals are helping more than the governments. (1) But Jackie French, director of The Wombat Foundation, says shepherding isn’t a wombat behavior.
French told IFLScience, “Wombats are extremely short-sighted. They focus mostly on food and dirt. It would be hard for them to see well enough to shepherd, nor have I seen one do so.” (2)
They don’t herd or shepherd their young or other animals the way dogs do. However, she isn’t dismissing it altogether.
“Wombat behavior is usually extremely limited – eat, sleep, scratch – but they are capable of extraordinary ingenuity in the rare times it’s needed. I’d have dismissed the shepherding claim altogether if I hadn’t known a wombat who decided to make friends with me four decades ago, and showed me around the bush. But he didn’t shepherd – he just waited, looking around to see if I followed. Baby wombats follow their mothers by trying to touch them at all times – the mothers don’t shepherd their young as a dog might do.” (2)
“It’s unlikely any shepherding would be necessary. [Other animals] would know the wombat warrens existed and are intelligent enough to seek shelter.” (2)
Wombats Do Share Burrows
Wombats live in Eastern Australia, from southern Queensland to Victoria, and in Tasmania. They are nocturnal animals and one of the largest burrowing mammals in the world. Their short legs and strong claws make for expert diggers, and they are most closely related to koalas. (3, 4)
Wombats live in burrows and prefer well-drained soils. They tend to build their burrows on the sides of ravines and dig them up to about 100 feet long and 10 feet deep. They do share their burrows with other wombats. But they are possessive about their feeding grounds and can be a touch cantankerous. (3)
Dr. Kath Handasyde from the University of Melbourne says wombats are typically possessive and unfriendly. “If the koala had encountered the wombat, it would probably have been chased out and wouldn’t have been anywhere near as relaxed as we can see in the photos.” (2)
But Jackie French believes that, in extraordinary times such as the fires, they might behave differently.
“I’ve seen wombats share their burrows in times of crisis with other wombats, snakes, quolls, possums, bandicoots, echidnas, bettongs and possibly other smaller creatures,” she told IFLScience. (2)
“Wallabies will shelter in wombat burrows too, but only those with larger entrances, and they don’t seem to go far down them. But as I’ve never shared a wombat burrow in a fire I can’t tell what else may have been down there, only seen what has emerged or vanished into a warren. So, in short, it’s possible that animals are sheltering in wombat burrows and that wombats would tolerate them, but it’s likely that if that is happening they weren’t shepherded there, and that the animals fled there themselves.” (2)
