A Man Found This Creature On The Side Of The Road... And Saved Its Life

August 21, 2014

If you saw this creature on the side of the road, would you pick it up? Someone did, and it's a beautiful story...

baby wombat
Parks Victoria Facebook

For those still wondering what on Earth this creature is, it's a baby wombat. She was found shivering inside her dead mother's pouch at the side of an Australian road and owes her life to a curious passer-by.

The man stopped after seeing a dead creature on the highway and - knowing what the animal was - had the foresight to check in its pouch to see if it was carrying any offspring. And up popped this little girl, still sucking on her dead mother's teat.

baby wombat
Caters

The rescuer made an urgent phone call to a wildlife helpline and ranger Kim Hunter, 48, came racing out to take the baby home. Despite being close to death, she managed to nurse the baby - she has called her Leah - back to health by bottle feeding her every four hours.

"Leah is too young to grow her own fur yet so I keep her on a heated mat, I have to bottle feed her every four hours, even throughout the night. But it's definitely been worth it. We've built a strong bond over the weeks and she knows I'm her mum now."

The photo, deemed so ugly it's cute, has gone viral and become the centerpiece to many Photoshop battles.

For Game Of Thrones fans:

baby wombat
Imgur