Watch This Crazy Australian Cuddle With A Wombat

Wombats might not be as ferocious as lions or as physically imposing as killer whales, but that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of using their sharp claws and powerful donkey kicks to injure human beings. Experts recommend anyone who encounters a pissed off wombat to climb a tree immediately. Those in a good mood, however, should be playfully cuddled with, at least if this clip is any indication.

Almost three years ago, Australian YouTube user Ajakwerth filmed himself playing with a wombat named Douglas at a school camp near Tallangatta in Victoria, Australia. He put the footage online, and just recently, large numbers of people began discovering its existence. It’s been racing around the Internet the past few days, and it is definitely worth a watch…

I love how casual the dude is around Douglas at the beginning of the clip. He’s just reading a book, completely comfortable in his opinion that this wombat isn’t going to claw his eyes out. The fact that the marsupial eventually rolls over and exposes his belly is pretty good evidence to support his hypothesis, but still, I can’t imagine I wouldn’t be completely terrified about all the things that could go wrong.

Ajakwerth is no longer at the camp; so, he has no idea whether Douglas was ever released back into the wild. Wherever he is, I hope the little wombat is happy, healthy and still resisting the urge to attack people.