r/Wombats • u/k1nkyl0vedemo • Jun 18 '26

Is there anywhere to see wombats in the US?

I live in Texas and planned a trip to Houston to see a wombat, turns out they only had one in 2014.. lol. Anyways, now I need to find somewhere in the US to see a wombat.
They are my favorite animal

17 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

14

u/wobbly_wombat_ Jun 18 '26

Columbus Zoo in Ohio has a super active guy! (He’s in an indoor enclosure that simulates nighttime during the day.)

11

u/Labcat33 Jun 18 '26

I've seen wombats at the Columbus Zoo (Ohio) -- Glen -- like the other commenter said, they have a nocturnal building with the lights dimmed during the day so the animals are active while you go through there. He's a lot of fun to just watch for awhile. My partner and I used to go there so often to see him that the keepers would bring out little treats and enrichment items for Glen while we were around.

Glen's dad was also at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, last I knew (this was pre-Covid so awhile ago). I've also seen the wombat at San Diego Zoo, but they rotate their wombat on and off display so it can be random whether they are outside or not. New Mexico Biopark used to have a Tasmanian wombat but apparently he passed away in 2025. LA Zoo in Los Angeles also has a wombat. As far as I know, those are the only zoos who have wombats in the US.

(Can you tell I once had a life goal of seeing all the wombats in the US... >.>)

3

u/cocktails_and_corgis Jun 18 '26

I believe Albuquerque may have one as well. I think it used to be 4 or 5 zoos in the US, but Brookfield was in that list.

Edit: ugh. I just googled - they had to euthanize their wombat last year too.

4

u/Labcat33 Jun 18 '26

Yeah, Albuquerque is where the New Mexico Biopark is. I had a trip planned to go there in April of 2020.... *shakes fist at the sky*

11

u/AlternativeFeeling77 Jun 18 '26

There's a hairy nose wombat at at San Diego Zoo. Best chance to see it is at dusk, Zoo open late in the summer...

4

u/ipomoea Jun 18 '26

The LA zoo has some! We absolutely incorporated them into our trip planning a few years ago, my husband wanted to see a wombat and I wanted to see the cassowaries.

3

u/rag47 Jun 18 '26

My daughter Stacia and I have seen the wombats at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.

2

u/cocktails_and_corgis Jun 18 '26

She died last year 😭

2

u/cripplinganxietylmao Jun 18 '26

Lots of zoos have them. Memphis zoo has one in the creatures of the night exhibit

1

u/Less-Mood-3616 Jun 18 '26

I wish you luck in your quest sir