Baby wombat, Ted, the latest recruit for Monaro Police District

Ted the wombat is the latest recruit at Queanbeyan Police Station. He was rescued by Senior Constable Tori Murray after his mother was stuck and killed by a car in June. Photo: NSW Police.

There’s a new furry recruit patrolling the halls at Queanbeyan Police Station.

Monaro Police District’s Senior Constable Tori Murray took in orphaned bare-nosed wombat Ted after his mother was struck and killed by a car in late June 2020.

Since then, eight-month-old Ted, a lively little guy, has been a regular fixture at the station, often found taking a nap in his portable bed under Senior Constable Murray’s desk or curiously following other officers around.

Ted will remain in Senior Constable Murray’s care for at least another year until he is old enough to be returned to his natural habitat.

For the past five years, Senior Constable Murray has volunteered with Wildcare to help rescue, care for and rehabilitate injured native animals across the Monaro region.

Monaro Police District’s Inspector Charles Hutchins said all the officers have taken to Ted and enjoy having him at the police station.

“The care that all of our officers are showing Ted is definitely the same care we provide to the community,” he said.

“Here at Monaro Police District, we take our jobs very seriously and part of that is providing an excellent level of customer service.”

Inspector Hutchins said that, unfortunately, crashes involving animals regularly occur on our roads and urged drivers to keep an eye out for them while travelling.

“With school holidays and everyone travelling along the highway, we encourage people to be aware of your surroundings, which may include our native wildlife,” he said.

“If you see an animal near the road, we encourage you to slow down, if possible, exercise caution and drive to the conditions so that way we’ll show some kindness to the animals by the roads.”