What a Whopper

She is 4ft tall and weighs 40kg – Wendy Gomersall, meets Big Bubs, the giant wombat who loves a cuddle…

She’s fun, very friendly and has the softest, silkiest fur. She also loves nothing more than to be snuggled and cuddled and hugged. But you need a generous lap to accommodate this cutie, because Big Bubs is – possibly – the largest wombat in the world.Wendy with the giant wombat, Big Bubs

In July last year, the first complete skeleton of the diprotodon was found in Queensland, Australia. The prehistoric animal was likened to a giant wombat that weighed three tons and was 14ft long. Of course, these creatures are long extinct.

Big Bubs, a Southern hairy-nosed wombat who lives at Caversham Wildlife Park, near Perth in Western Australia, may not quite match up to those measurements. But weighing in at 35kg-40kg – like any woman, her weight does fluctuate a bit – and measuring 4ft from nose to tail, she’s still one massive marsupial, and she’s very much alive.

The whopper wombat, named plain Bubs at birth, loves to munch on shoots, leaves, roots and veggies, especially carrots and pumpkin, says the Caversham’s owner, David Thorne, who has run the park for 25 years with wife Pat and children David and Debbie.

But more than anything, Bubs loves human contact. The wombat was born at the park around 15 years ago, and her parents – Marion and Fred, named after a couple from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, who fell in love at the park – still live there, too. ‘She has always been very ‘’human’’,’ says David. ‘She doesn’t want to know about other wombats or a wombat’s life, she’s more interested in people.’

As far as temperament goes, she’s a perfect lady, too. ‘She’s loving, cuddly and really wants to snuggle in when you hold her. She’s never cheeky or grumpy,’ says David. In fact, she’ll happily sit on a warm lap for hours, only wriggling if she needs to er… powder her nose. But don’t be fooled – put her down and she’ll prove it’s not fat under all that fur, but muscle, by scurrying off into the bushes faster than you can say ‘giant wombat’ if you don’t keep your eye in her.

The park, one of Western Australia’s top attractions, is home to around 200 species and more than 2,000 animals, birds and reptiles, most housed in walk-through environments. Wombats, koalas, grass owls and cassowaries have all been born there.

‘As a single animal, Big Bubs is certainly the visitors’ favourite, though the kangaroos also get a lot of attention,’ says David.

Has she met any celebrity visitors to the park? ‘Oh yes,’ he confirmed.

‘She has palmed two-thirds of the Rolling Stones (Mick wasn’t there), British Foreign Secretary William Hague and lots of American actors and actresses.’

In addition, BB has met a number of heads of state and other foreign ministers from Commonwealth countries, says David. ‘The majority of these had a big cuddle with her.’

So it looks as if our Bubs could now be the most famous wombat in the world, too.

Entrance to Caversham Wildlife Park costs AU$23 (around £15). For more information on Western Australia, visit www.westernaustralia.com