Wombat Burrows Help Other Critters Survive After Fires

‘They’re the only surviving native species capable of digging deep, wide burrows.’

Romper the wombat being fed a carrot by keeper Tara Gunter on February 24, 2020 at Sydney Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Wombat burrows act as survival boltholes for a surprising array of creatures after bushfires hit, a study suggests.

Researchers have analysed camera trap images from NSW’s Woomargama National Park and Woomargama State Forest, where more than 18,000 hectares burnt during the Black Summer fires.