Meet Poppy the adorable baby wombat at her new home in an Australian zoo after her mother was killed by a car and the little joey was found still alive in her pouch.

The Australian Reptile Park said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “There is a new arrival at The Australian Reptile Park winning hearts of all the staff – meet Poppy the baby wombat!

“A video was released of the little bundle of joy on the Australian Reptile Park page last night and it looks as though Poppy is a hit online, with the video being viewed tens of thousands of times in just 12 hours.”

The zoo said that Poppy was found in her marsupial mother’s pouch after she was hit and killed by a car.

A passerby checked the dead the animal’s pouch and saw little Poppy staring back at them.

Apparently orphaned, the wombat joey was brought to the Australian Reptile Park where zookeeper Daniel Rumsey became her “new carer and surrogate mum”.

The Australian Reptile Park said Ramsey is giving the wombat “around the clock care, including a bottle feed at 3am, and the cuddles she craves”.

Rumsey said: “It’s always hit and miss with little orphans like Poppy. It’s hard to know if they’ve been exposed to disease, are malnourished, or even injured in the accident.”

He said she survived “like a true champion” and is “full of beans and has quickly won over everyone here at The Australian Reptile Park”, adding: “She’ll follow you everywhere you go, loves cuddles and loves her bottles even more!”

After the death of Poppy’s mother, the animal carer explained: “Cars are one of the biggest threats to Aussie wildlife. With so many people now out on the roads after New South Wales is opening back after lockdown, we are calling for people to slow down.”

He said that many animals are “killed by vehicles each year and if we all took a little more care, we can decrease the number dramatically”.

The Australian Reptile Park said Poppy will remain with them until she is around one year old.

Experts will then establish if she is “strong enough to be released to the wild”.

In the meantime, animal lovers can visit Poppy through the park’s popular animal encounter programme.

The zoo has reopened as a COVID-Safe business and observes all government rules “to keep its staff and visitors safe”.