INSIDE: MORE FESTIVAL OF W, A SPIKY FIND ON WILLANS HILL + MORE
Council News
THIS IS A PAID ADVERTISING FEATURE BY WAGGA WAGGA CITY COUNCIL
Weekly newsletter from Wagga Wagga City Council
First Printed Saturday 16 July 2022 | Issue #404
Farewell Russell: the city’s favourite wombat passes away
ME
REE FOR ET
AG
W
Help us plant 65,000 native seedlings
the team at Moorong Veterinary Clinic, as well as the Charles Sturt Veterinary Clinical Centre, experts at the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, and local wildlife carers with over 40 years’ experience. Unfortunately, after being hospitalised, Russell passed away. He was not in any pain. The cause of death is still unknown following autopsy results. Russell came to the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens Zoo and Aviary in November 2020 after being rescued from the side of the road by the Porter family in Gundagai. Nicky Porter initially took care of the little one-kilo wombat before reaching out to the zoo as Russell grew. Continued inside
ON
was ailing the almost three-year-old wombat. After multiple blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, dental exams and medications, veterinary and wildlife experts were unable to draw a conclusion, other than Russell had not contracted anything contagious at the zoo. Zoo Curator Wendy McNamara Russell passed away recently after said it was an incredibly stressful time for the zoo team. a long illness in the care of staff. “We got to the stage where we When he began inexplicably losing weight earlier in the year, the were nursing him intensively, syringe feeding him, and doing absolutely zoo team began consulting local veterinarians and wildlife experts to everything we could to give him the care he needed,” Ms McNamara try and find an explanation. said. Eventually, an extensive team of “We loved the little guy and it was veterinarians and wildlife experts heartbreaking to see him unwell.” across the state were working Zoo staff were working with together to try and find out what
GA
The team at the Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens Zoo and Aviary are sad to announce the passing of the zoo’s beloved wombat, Russell.
G A WAG
SPECIAL BOND: Zoo Curator Wendy McNamara with Russell, who was a much loved member of the zoo family.
Free seedling giveaway Date/time: Wednesday 27th July, 2pm - 6pm (or until all seedlings are claimed) Venue: Tolland Shopping Centre, 231 Bourke Street, Tolland. Limit of 5 seedlings per household. For more information wagga.nsw.gov.au/onetreeforme