Playtime between Elsie and Barney is rough at times but it’s all in good fun! With every bite, head bump and chase they are learning how to defend themselves and survive in the wild when they are eventually released. Elsie likes to win! She’s bigger and stronger than Barney and although Barney often instigates the battle, Elsie likes to end it!
I record many videos in slow motion so I can really study their movements. Barney goes in for the bite but Elsie is strong enough to lift Barney off his feet!
Barney tries to hold Elsie’s head to prevent hitting the ground without much luck!
Barney seems to get the upper hand (paw?) but is soon chased off by Elsie as she claims the win!
You have to have a strong head and rump when you are a wombat! In the wild, you will be moving boulders, running from foxes or dingoes or fighting off the advances of an unwanted male wombat! Elsie and Barney demonstrate some serious wombat maneuvers!
This is all fun! This is what most nights are like in my house! Elsie and Barney are not seriously hurting each other – there’s no growling, no forcing them or encouraging them to behave this way. This is simply what young wombats do! It’s like fight club or watching wrestle mania every night!
Having two joey wombats in care is so much better for me because otherwise all this ‘play’ would be directed at me! When I had a single wombat in care I ended up covered in bruises from this kind of ‘play’! Now, with two wombats in care, I have far less bruises although sometimes I get caught in the cross fire!
Stay tuned… who knows what they will get up to next!
Instagram page – wombats_and_wildlife_heljan09.
Working with Australian Wildlife - Helen Hardy 