Hello, I'm Chewbacca, the common wombat. I live in the Tama Zoo, Tokyo.

In front of my triangular house

The Emus lived next door to me at this time.
They moved to another place in the zoo in the autumn of 2000.

After a while, the wallabies became my neighbours.

(photographed on May 30, 1999)

Hi, there!
I come up to the glass at times.
The large nose and the small erect ears are the most prominent facial features of the wombats.

I have poor eyesight.
I am said to be lovely with my round eyes, though.


(photographed on Sept.22, 2000)

　

Ladies and gentlemen, how is this pose?

The person who took this picture called it the much-valued "handle- pose."
The people were delighted at seeing me like this.
I seem to be on the stage, don't I?

Can you see my claws? You see they are very long.
I'm said to be a neat wombat because I put the handle back down after chewing or biting it.
I sometimes forget to do it, though.



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
　Rolling Over

When Chewbacca rolls over, his rear feet almost form a circle.

I'm good at "rolling over". I can do a 360-degree roll, both to the right and left. I should say there are few wombats who can roll over as well as me in the world.

Am I special?

To tell the truth, I sometimes hit my nose against the metal gate as I don't roll over well. I think nothing of it, though.

I have rolled over in the triangular house and the scene was recorded on video tape.

I'm sorry to say that you may not see me roll over as I don't do it very often.

* At the beginning of a TV program in Japan, the host often makes the shape of circle with his hands over his head and says, "A friend's friends are all friends. Let's extend our friends' circle to the world.
Every time I saw Chewbacca's reat feet when he rolled over, I remembered the passage.

Let's extend our wombats' friends circle to the world" 

*You can see my rolling over in part II. -Chewbacca -

I've gotten this log. It's fun for me to have it.
It can also be my "Teddy Bear".
It's very comfortable to hold when I sleep.

As I played with it for two hours this day, I was very tired.

(photographed on Sept.22, 2000)

This stump is my favorite, too.
I sometimes bite it, push it, and roll it.
The people who meet me like this for the first time may be surprised.
I heard some people say that I was surprisingly wild.
I think I'm gentle........
I may be active and have a strong sense of curiosity, though.

(photographed on Oct.19, 2000)

*note: A few years after I met Chewbacca for the first time in 1998, I found out he was wild.
According to some data from the zoos in Tokyo, four wombats including Chewbacca came to the Tama Zoo and one female wombat and Chewbacca were wild and other two wombats were gentle. (August, 2004)

My short legs came in sight!　　

-I wonder if I shouldn't have made such a pose like this-

It's not only me who has short legs, I'd like you to know.
All wombats have short legs and rear feet that are turned inward.　　　
Why I am doing this? Because the keeper seems to come from somewhere over there. Is is my dinner time, by any chance?　


(photographed on Sept.28, 2000)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Short legs and a long body -No.2-

I hear the big fans of us wombats like our short legs and a long body.



(photographed on Sept.28, 2000)

　"Ninjutsu" i.e. Art of making oneself invisible
- Chewbacca hiding among the stones -

　　　
　　　"Ninja"Chewbacca!?
("ninja" is a Japanese word which means a kind of samurai warrior engaged in espionage activities during Warring States Period.)

　　　　Where am I? Can you find me?

(photographed on May 30,1999)

January 2nd, 2001

The first place I went in this century was Tama Zoo.
　　I was with Chewbacca for two hours.

The brown thing that is seen on the upper right is my second house. That was rebuilt in the fall in 2000.　
The floor is higher than before.

Wow, I found the grass!

Chewbacca's eating his hay with his ears perked.