U.S. Millionaire Leaves $8MM USD To . . . Wombats?

An anonymous American millionaire is making headlines after his death - for bequeathing $8mm USD to a rather unusual cause - To save Australia's Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombats!

According to Briggitte Stevens the director of the Wombat Awareness Organization, that was named as the beneficiary, the millionaire visited the center a couple of years ago and was touched by the plight of the animals, who were either starving to death, dying of disease or, being killed by motorcycles and bulldozers.

He was obviously also very impressed with Mr. Stevens, who runs the organization with the help of volunteers, and depends on donations from the public, to keep it going. So much so, that he decided to donate a nice chunk of change, which will be paid in installments of a million dollars each - Oh, and in case you are feeling generous, Mr. Stevens is still looking for donations, since the millions will not start coming to the organization until next year, and he does have some immediate costs to cover!

Often compared to Badgers or Groundhogs, Wombats are the world's largest burrowing animals and second largest marsupial - smaller only then kangaroos. Native to Australia, they are strong, muscular animals with rodent-like eyes. While their eyesight is poor, they have a very strong sense of smell and hearing. The Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat is the smallest species of the breed and found primarily in South Australia.

While they look extremely cute, they are a nuisance for farmers, thanks to their incessant burrowing. Over the years, so many have been killed that they are currently on the endangered list of animals. Now, with $8mm USD to protect them, the future for the Wombat population certainly looks bright again!

Sources: wombatawareness.com,buzz.yahoo.com,blogs.forbes.com