Little ‘Twigga’ is a young Short-beaked Echidna currently being cared for by Taronga Wildlife Hospital Nurse, Annabelle. The young male was found in Forster on the side of a road by a passer-by, exceptionally thin and not moving very well. Luckily he was brought to the Zoo’s hospital and x-rays revealed that Twigga had a broken pelvis. This explained why he couldn’t get about and also his exceptionally thin frame, as tracking down ants and termite mounds wouldn’t be easy.Nurse Annabelle has taken on the responsibility of looking after him twenty-four-seven, taking him home every night as he’s only about eight months old. At this age he’s no longer reliant on milk from mum, but Annabelle feeds him a special high nutrient echidna mix to help him put on the grams. You might be wondering why he’s named Twigga. The young male was initially called ‘Twiggie’ after the skinny 1960’s model, but closer inspection revealed that ‘she’ was actually a he, Annabelle chose the more fitting name “Twigga”.Twigga the Short-beaked Echidna Click on the above image for the gallery

It’s not uncommon for the hospital to care for echidnas that have been hit on the road, but as motorists we can all do our bit to help prevent wildlife accidents. The good news is that Twigga is making a good recovery and we’re hoping that he can be released back in to the wild.Find out you can support the work of Taronga's Wildlife Hospital here.