Wain, the world’s oldest wombat, has lived 20 years longer than his wild counterparts.
The marsupial, also known as Mr Wine, had a rough start to life.
Rescuers saved him from his mother’s pouch when she was killed by a car in Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain in 1989.
Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary owner Androo Kelly cared for the orphan for nearly a year, before finding him his forever home in Satsukiyama Zoo.
Kelly said Wain, soon to be 35, definitely showed signs of slowing down, having visited him in Japan last year.
“He was doddering, walking around slowly,” he told SBS News.
“But he was still active and has quite a regular routine. He just does his own thing.”
Wain, along with two other wombats, were a gift from Launceston city to its sister city Ikeda.
The wombat has outlived both of those wombats, as well as two of their offspring.
Kelly calls Wain an “exceptional animal” but admits he’s not being fed a secret grain.
“He gets a good healthy diet. Lots of grasses and different grains and roughage and a bit of vegetable,” he said.
Instead, he attributes his longevity, which has won Wain a Guiness World Record for the oldest wombat, to the team’s “amazing care”.
He expects Wain’s care to improve further when a new facility is built following additional Japanese federal funding.
Kelly might also send Wain a new wombat friend, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Launceston and Ikeda’s sister relationship in 2025.
