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Support KEF to Help Local Teacher
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99-Year-Old Betty White’s Secrets of Longevity
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Meet Jasper!
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Your Dog’s Favorite Sliders
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A Better Way to Monitor Glucose and Manage Pet Diabetes Australian Wombats Are Saving the Day!
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Australian Wombats in Charge
SAVING LIVES ONE HOLE AT A TIME
Remember the Australian wildfires of 2019–2020? These fires ravaged large areas of the country, displacing and leaving countless animals to fight for survival. To make matters worse, swaths of the country have been dealing with drought. It’s one challenge after another for humans and animals alike. But one species has taken matters into its own “hands.” Numerous wombats have been discovered digging holes in search of water
At this particular watering hole, Finnie captured all sorts of creatures on camera — birds, emus, possums, echidnas, and monitor lizards — congregating around the wombats’ creation. What isn’t known is how, exactly, the wombats discovered the water, but they surmise the animals likely picked up on environmental clues and dug until they found what they were looking for. Interestingly enough, wombats have been known to help other animals in the past. During the Australian fires, countless animals were left searching for refuge, and they found it in wombat burrows.
— and they found it! According to Australia’s ABC News, one group of wombats was discovered on a farm in New South
While the wombats weren’t exactly welcoming other species into their homes with open arms, they
Wales, which was situated over a large underground reservoir. So, the wombats went to work. One farmer, Ted Finnie, reported that
seemed to “tolerate” the visitors, as one ecologist with the University of Adelaide noted. It was a case of accidental heroism, much like their search for water, but it was heroism nonetheless.
wombats dug a hole roughly 4 meters deep by 20 meters wide (or about 65 feet). Their incredible work made this source of water remarkably accessible.
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