A Ten News First report on the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat and conservation efforts to protect the species.

The largest and rarest of wombat species, the northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) requires a year-round supply of grass for its diet and deep sandy soil to dig burrows linked by up to 90 metres of tunnel.

There are now three protected colonies of northern hairy-nosed wombats in Queensland, and conservation projects have been estimated to have increased their numbers from as low as 35 in the 1980s to over 300 now.

This report aired on 3 March 2023.