River Murray flooding kills 'thousands' of wombats, but rescuers work to save survivors

Courtney D'Crus kneels next to a washed-out wombat burrow in silence.

She knows the River Murray flooding is a natural event that has happened before and will again.

That does not make her job any easier.

The floods have soaked areas that had been dry for decades, undermining the burrows of southern hairy-nosed wombats throughout the region.

"If they don't get out of the burrow in time, they're drowning, [or] they're getting stuck in the mud and then eventually starving to death," Ms D'Crus said.

The Wombat Awareness Organisation volunteer has state government approval to check on the animals that have become isolated by floodwaters.

Ms D'Crus and a crew take to the swollen river in search of wombats in need most days.

"We're not just dealing with a wombat that's been displaced, we're then dealing with wombats stuck on islands that are just starving because there's not enough food out there for them," she said.

Crews leave feed at active burrows every day to try to support the animals to stay in place.

Wombats can only be taken into care if they are in dire need of support.

The South Australian Department for Environment and Water said in a statement that five wombats had been euthanased and there were "hundreds of thousands across South Australia unaffected by flooding".

It said about 3,600 animals, mostly kangaroos, had been euthanased since the flood began.

Ms D'Crus said her work was not just about ensuring the species survived the flood.

"It's an animal welfare issue."

Good news for 10 wombats

So far, volunteers have collected 10 wombats in need of veterinary care, with the animals suffering various ailments from water inhalation to exposure.

Each was taken to the Adelaide Hills, where Brigitte Stevens nursed them back to health.

"We've had wombats for 18 years and I've never had such traumatised animals," Ms Stevens said.

"They just wanted to be left alone when they came here, which was hard because they all needed a lot of help."

Ms Stevens used 20 kilograms of carrots a day to make carrot soup, which she hand-fed to the wombats using a syringe until they regained their strength.

Some wombats like Errol needed much more support.

"He was the only survivor out of 24 wombats, so there was 23 dead wombats around him and he was the last one surviving, so he's very thin," she said.

"He really literally got saved at the last minute."

Others needed antibiotics to heal infected paws.

Southern hairy-nosed wombats are highly territorial and are unable to be released into the wild after being taken in for care.

But now, after weeks of support, each has been released into the safety of the sanctuary.

"To see every single wombat that we've had come in – touch wood — from the floods survive and go well enough that every one is now being released is amazing," Ms Stevens said.

"They'll never have to worry about anything ever again.

"They're just the most amazing animal."

The southern-hairy nosed wombat is South Australia's faunal emblem.