The orphaned wombat joey who arrived at the Park with nothing is now a healthy, boot-chewing, grass-nibbling fixture of the Collett household.
Not long ago, Sunny the wombat joey was found alive in his mother's pouch after she was fatally struck by a vehicle. Today, he weighs 5 kilograms, has developed a taste for grass, and has completely upstaged Billy Collett in his own home.
Sunny has officially reached one of the most important milestones of his young life: at 5kg, he is thriving in care, and he has begun naturally nibbling on grass, the first real sign that he is transitioning towards the diet he will carry with him into adulthood.
"This milestone is massive for us, it means he's really healthy, he's putting on lots of weight and now he's starting to eat the food he's gonna be eating in the wild," said Billy Collett, Park Manager.
Since arriving at the Australian Reptile Park, Sunny has needed the kind of attention that only a dedicated team, and one very committed Park Manager, can provide. He still gets his bottles, but the grass is now coming naturally, exactly as it would if he were following his mother through the bush.
Billy has stepped into that role in a very literal sense, taking Sunny home with him each afternoon and welcoming him into family life. His two young daughters have had strong opinions about this arrangement from day one.
"It's been really exciting and really challenging raising the little fella. My two little girls are absolutely obsessed with Sunny. When I get home from work they don't even care about me, all they wanna do is see Sunny and have a little play with him," said Billy.
Sunny, for his part, has settled into the routine like he owns the place. His personality is becoming clearer by the day, and it turns out he has very specific interests.
"He's got a great personality, he's super sweet but he's also very cheeky and he loves chewing on my boots," said Billy.
Every new kilogram, every mouthful of grass, every boot destroyed is another step forward for a little wombat who was given a second chance. His story is also a quiet reminder of the toll Australian roads take on native wildlife every day, and what it takes to bring one of them back.
Wombat Joey Encounters are available during the spring school holidays at the Australian Reptile Park, giving visitors the chance to meet Sunny, hear his story from the team raising him, and get up close to one of Australia's most loveable natives.
