The world’s oldest wombat will be celebrating his 35th birthday this month. Everyone get ready to sing “Happy Birthday” to Wain the wombat, and make sure you buy him some gifts that are age appropriate like socks with avocados on them, or gear for him to prepare for a half marathon he’ll become strangely obsessed with.
Okay no, admittedly Wain is probably not going to jump for joy at the idea of a 21km run — even though they can run at speeds of 40kmph — but he would definitely be thrilled by your birthday wishes as he celebrates turning 35, and his continued reign as the Guinness World Record holder for world’s oldest wombat.
Though the average lifespan of the species in the wild is 15 years, in captivity wombats have been known to reach, well, as old as Wain!
Discovered as an orphan in November of 1989, wain was believed to be about six to seven months old when he was rescued in Tasmania. Then, when he was only one year old, Wain took a trip to Ikeda, Japan, where he currently lives at Satsukiyama Zoo.
According to the owner of Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary in Tassie, Androo Kelly, though Wain may appear to be “an old wombat”, he’s in great nick for his age. (Maybe he is keeping in shape with half marathons after all?) ((He’s not.))
Kelly shared that in 1990 when Wain was moved from Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary to Satsukiyama Zoo he was sent with two other wombats in order to develop a breeding program at the zoo.
“They were exported to Japan in 1990 … and within two years they had bred two wombats, which was quite unique,” Kelly told the ABC.
“There was a lot of publicity worldwide because there hadn’t been wombat breeding in captivity anywhere in the world.”
Wain was discovered to be the world’s oldest wombat in 2022. Before this other wombats in captivity had reached the respectable ages of 31 and 33-years-old.
Kelly chalks Wain’s longevity up to the excellent care that Satsukiyama Zoo takes of him.
“They do really care and look after the wombats like no- one else,” he said, per the publication.
Happy birthday Wain, you Aussie icon. Keep doing us proud.
[Image: Satsukiyama Zoo]