Young wombat Abby has arrived at the Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary after nearly being attacked to death. The joey was welcomed weighing only five kilos and suffered severe woulds following the attack.

Donna Stepan, who runs the sanctuary, said Abby was attacked after her mother was killed from a vehicle strike. It’s in those moments afterwards that a young wombat becomes especially vulnerable to attacks, as Abby was when she was attacked by another wombat. “Wombats remain with their mothers for up to 20-24 months. During this time (if they survive) they are taught survival skills by their mothers. For wombats to survive, if they do not have the strength and the skills, they will not make it. To release wombats too young or without skills is a death sentence,” wrote Stepan on Facebook.

This video, uploaded on July 4, shows Stepan tending to Abby. Credit: Facebook/Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary