The name wombat comes from the Darug language, spoken by the Traditional Owners of Sydney. 8. Wombats closest relatives are koalas – if you check out their noses you’ll see they are pretty similar.

They have a backwards-facing pouch. Like other marsupials, wombats give birth to a tiny, underdeveloped baby that crawls into its mother’s pouch to grow and develop further. But wombats’ pouches have a special difference — they are positioned backwards, opening toward the mother’s rear rather than her head.

Male wombats are Jacks female wombats are Jills and baby wombats are Joeys.

The baby may also eat rolled oats, carrots or chunks of sweet potato or sweet corn, but these should just be a treat or supplement, not the main food. Your baby wombat will probably decide that it would like to try the cat’s food, dog food, your toast, any cake on the coffee table and your socks.

Wombat attacks on humans are rare but not unheard of. In 2010 a 60-year-old man spent the night in hospital after being “mauled” by a wombat he encountered while attending to a call of nature outside his caravan. The neighbour then killed the wombat with a blow to the back of the head with an axe.

Wombats come under the category of exotic pets, since they are a wild species and kept as pets in very rare cases. It is due to their cute and cuddly appearance that people want to keep them as pets. It is believed that wombats do not make good pets.

While visiting the Park why not take the time to meet and cuddle one of friendly wombats. Only one person is allowed to hold the wombat per photo.

Although wombats are naturally very shy, they are inquisitive and have been known to become friendly with people. Wombats are also rather obstinate, and once their mind is made up, will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Wombats are wild animals, not domesticated pets, and as such should be left in the wild where they belong. In most places in Australia, wombats are protected and it’s illegal to keep them as pets. As a wombat grows and matures, it becomes less and less friendly, and increasingly hostile and unpredictable.

No, you can not own a flamingo as a pet. Flamingos are protected under the Migratory Bird Act. They are wild animals and it is not legal to own a flamingo if you are not having a special license.

Typical costs: Monkeys cost between $4,000 and $8,000 each, depending on the monkey’s age, rarity and temperament. Younger, more rare and friendlier monkeys tend to cost more.