Australian Reptile Park keeper Tim Faulkner is about to say a sad goodbye to his best mate , George the wombat, as the winner of 2017’s Australia’s most adorable animal is about to be released into the wild.

George melted hearts by running energetically after Tim and acting as his shadow. This video posted on December 28 shows the wombat, no longer a baby, still tailing Tim.

Now a big boy, George needs more space and will be moved to the Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue Inc and Wombat Hospital in Wollombi in mid-January. Credit: Facebook/Tim Faulkner via Storyful