Wombats are the heroes of the Australian fires, sheltering animals in their burrows, Global : Today Indya

Wombats are the heroes of the Australian fires, sheltering animals in their burrows

Global

matadornetwork

AMID ALL THE devastation caused by Australia’s bushfires, an unlikely hero has emerged: the wombat. Quite generously, wombats have reportedly been allowing other animals to take refuge in their homes, as they hide from the blazes that threaten their own habitats. Complex underground tunnels, created by wombats, have served as safehouses for other species like wallabies and echidnas, allowing them to survive an otherwise fatal situation.

Wombats are the heroes of the Australian fires, sheltering animals in their burrows

Peter Hylands, a documentary filmmaker, visited the burnt landscape of the Cobargo Wildlife Sanctuary, and told Yahoo, “You’ve got animals that are completely unscathed and those must be the animals that have been under the ground, it’s the only explanation when the fire zones are so extensive.”

This sentiment is echoed by Wombat Rescue manager Yolandi Vermaak, who said, “At most, there would be animals fleeing into burrows. I’ve seen echidnas going into burrows — lizards, and skinks, rabbits — those sort of things. I have even seen a small wallaby.”

Vermaak also said that she hasn’t seen a single burnt wombat during her rescue missions, and instead has discovered a series of survivors — wombats and several other species — hiding in the tunnels.

When the fires are eventually extinguished, hopefully wombats get the praise they deserve — both from the people of Australia and their fellow members of the animal kingdom.

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5 Mountain Lions Seen Together In Rare Video. Why This Is "Extraordinary"

Global

NDTV

"Extraordinary to capture five together for sure," said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira.

Five mountain lions were spotted together in California on Wednesday - an event dubbed "extraordinary" as these big cats are rarely seen together. According to Mercury News, the footage was recorded at a rural residence at the edge of the El Dorado National Forest.

"We shared the videos and photos with several of our wildlife biologists and none of them could recall ever seeing five mountain lions together in the same photo or video," said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira, according to Fox 40.

"Extraordinary to capture five together for sure," he said.

Mountain lions, also known as cougars, typically lead solitary lives, with mothers chasing their young ones off after about a year. Biologists say that the only time more than one mountain lion can be seen together is either during their mating season or when a mother is raising her cubs.

"They're not very tolerant of other mountain lions in their territories," Mr Tira said.

According to Mercury News, one of the mountain lions in the video is bigger than the others, so scientists speculate it's the mother lion. However, Mr Tira does not believe that they all belong to the same litter.

"Potentially could be two different age classes, some yearlings and maybe a 2-year-old lion that she may have had earlier," he said.

Mountain lions are considered shy and elusive creatures that rarely attack humans, preferring to hunt deer.