Sad news today: Patrick, a 32-year-old/85-pound wombat, who loved riding in wheelbarrows, cuddling, and eating grass, has died.
His keepers at Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria, Australia, announced his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“It is with sadness and heavy hearts that Greg Parker and all the staff are mourning the loss of our bucky toothed Patrick the Wombat,” they wrote. “Patrick the Wombat came to the park as an orphan after his mother was hit by a car and was raised by Greg and his family.”
Sadly, Patrick died a virgin.
Via HuffPo:
Though he apparently never found that special wombat lady (even though his caretakers famously made a Tinder profit for him), he spent his life surrounded by platonic love at the wildlife park and the adoration of fans around the world. Patrick also achieved international recognition as “wombassador” for the park, with CNN naming him one of the “greatest city mascots” in the world in 2014.
Veterinarians made the decision to euthanize Patrick after a “sudden decline in his health,” according to a park statement. He was surrounded by his caretakers when he died.
In the wild, bare-nosed wombats are believed to live to be about 15 years old. Patrick was described as “the oldest” and, at 85 pounds, “the biggest” –though it’s unclear if this title was official.
