There has been tragic news this morning with the death of Patrick the Wombat, aged 31.
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The beloved wombat, who was the oldest bare-nosed wombat in the world, died this morning.
The news was announced on Patrick’s own Facebook page.
The post says the Ballarat Wildlife Park plans to erect a permanent memorial to honour him.
Patrick the Wombat came to the Ballarat Wildlife Park as an orphan after his mother was hit by a car and was raised by park owner Greg Parker and his family.
He has since become a Ballarat icon and was famous throughout Australia.
Ballarat Wildlife Park manager Stuart Parker said while Patrick’s popularity had exploded over the past 10 years, the family had always known he was a special animal.
“We’ve got people from all over the world who come to see Patrick quite regularly,” Mr Parker said. “It’s one of those things where he was a record breaking wombat in terms of age, but you just never thought this day was going to come.
“He was always special and I don’t have any memories of before him because my whole life I’ve known him to be around.
“He was definitely a part of our family and there's definitely a big hole that won't be filled any time soon.”