Alongside wildfires, the drought in Australia has claimed vast portions of land across the southeast of the country, making it extremely difficult for animals in the region to find water.
But in these times of crisis, wombats have come out as accidental heroes, as the marsupials have been spotted burrowing into an underground pool of water on a farm in New South Wales. In the process, they have opened up the water hole for an array of native fauna hit hard by drought.
While wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, and wallaroos were already frequent visitors to the well, the wombats’ construction work appears to have encouraged new guests to the area. Through a camera trap set by the owner of the farm, we know that birds, goannas, possums, echidnas, and emus have also been spotted drinking at the water hole.
To take a look at this accidental feat of environmental engineering and the diverse fauna it’s helped, look no further.
