Matari Womat Joey

Since spending his first night at Taronga Zoo away from Rachel, Matari, which means 'little man' in an Aboriginal dialect has settled in really well and is growing up fast. 

Having graduated from 24 hour care, the young wombat has moved into Taronga's Education Centre which is also home to Western Grey Kangaroo, an emu, koalas, echidnas, a swamp wallaby, Burmese tortoises and quokkas.

Being the new kid on the block, Matari has forged a bond with a baby quokka called Poppy Lou. They are the best of friends and he loves to chase her.

As Matari is getting older he is slowly being weened off his milk formula and has recently been reduced to two bottle feeds a day. His big strong teeth are also getting a work out as he explores solid foods including carrots and marsupial pellets and he loves munching on the grass of his enclosure.

Matari is becoming quite the 'little man' gaining more independence spending more and more time away from his pouches and toys. He loves exploring all the nooks and crannies of his new home and like most young wombats loves  getting up to mischief! He is quite the little bulldozer.

Being at the Education Centre Matari is a great advocate for his species.  We have slowly introduced him to students and visitors so they can learn about his story, the intricacies of hand raising a native animal as well as important conservation messages such as road safety, responsible pet ownership and planting native habitats.