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Rare white wombat saved by shearers

Meet Polar, the rare white southern hairy-nosed Wombat.

He's a gorgeous bundle of joy, named by his carer, Wildlife rescuer Val Salmon, because he looks more like a baby polar bear than a wombat.

But baby Polar wasn't so cheerful a month ago.

Shearers found him wandering around a wheat paddock near Ceduna, on South Australia's west coast.

He was dehydrated and exhausted and very sick, rescuers believed he had only hours to live.

"He was pretty ill when he came to me," Val Salmon said, "but, now look at him, he's a picture of health."

"He's going to be used for educational purposes, maybe in a breeding program later on."

"But at this stage, we just want to get him nice and fit and healthy."

Ms Salmon says she has been rescuing and looking after wombats for 40 years, but his white fur makes him a rare sight.

"He's the third white one that's come into my care, and yes, he's very rare."