World's Oldest Wombat Is Single And Ready To Mingle
Patrick, dubbed Paddy by his keepers, celebrated his 30th birthday over the weekend. It's a big milestone for a bare-nosed wombat, which typically only live 15 or 20 years in captivity and even less than that in the wild. His handlers at the Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria, Australia showered Paddy with gifts for the occasion, including his very own wheelbarrow. The one thing missing from the birthday boy's day: a lady wombat with whom he can live out his days (and share his wheelbarrow). And since that's something that even an appearance on the Today show and 34,000 Facebook fans have been unable to fix, Paddy's handlers have signed the more than 88-pound wombat up for Tinder.
Paddy's bachelorhood is nothing to be ashamed of—he's just a little bit too sweet for the world of wombat wooing. "The male wombat has to be very aggressive towards the female, and Patrick just isn't a very aggressive wombat. So he chooses to be single," Park owner Julia Leonard told ABC News in Australia.
Big bucky toothed kisses to all my friends who have loved me today and every other day. I had a visit from Mayor... Posted by Patrick the Wombat on Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Paddy's birthday has attracted so much media attention that the Park is planning to host a belated bash on August 30 for the geriatric wombat and all his potential dates. If you happen to be in Australia, you're invited too.
"He'll get a bit of attention, get some carrots and grass and hopefully lap up the day," Leonard said of the upcoming party. That'll hopefully be plenty of excitement for Paddy, as there are no guarantees on the romance front. "Relationships are a bit complex when you're a wombat."
[h/t Mashable]