There is often talk about the destructive power of wombats, and yet some zoos manage to keep pristine, manicured lawns in their wombat exhibits. Symbio Wildlife Park and Australia Zoo are two examples of establishments with wombat enclosures that look great, without mounds of dirt and burrows in all directions. How do they manage that? Do the animals only create chaos underground?
Well, from what I’ve heard, the Taronga keepers are instructed to immediately fill in and repair any “damage” the wombats make in the grassy areas, but the wombats will not dig in designated areas for them to do so (ie not grass). So, it seems it’s done by preventing natural behaviors of the animal.
It is also unfortunately a practice in some zoos to restrict the wombats to indoor quarters at night (i.e. when the animals are actually active) to "protect" the look of the exhibit.
(Not saying that this is the case at Symbio because I don't know).
