Wombats are disappearing, with a fatal combination of road incidents, habitat loss and mange disease risking the future of the iconic Australian animal.
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Mange is a highly contagious skin condition introduced by European settlers' domestic animals, that results in itchy sores over a wombat's body, fur loss, and eventual blindness. Currently around 90 per cent of wombat populations have mange, according to WIRES.
WIRES are calling on people around NSW to become 'community wombat warriors' with a new program that allows people to treat wombats suffering from mange in their local area after completing an online course.
The University of Tasmania senior lecturer in wildlife ecology Scott Carver said this new initiative was a step in the right direction.
"These sorts of efforts that enable and support the many people who feel quite passionate about these iconic animals across Australia, to be able to support their health, is a really good initiative," Dr Carver said.
WIRES' online course has been developed in consultation with experts and will cover different methods of safely treating mange-affected wombats. The course is free until the end of the year.
Wombat Protection Society of Australia director Jenny Mattingley has been advocating for ethical mange management for over 25 years.
"For a long time, people just said to euthanise them, it couldn't be treated," she said.
"But you can't let unskilled people go out and tackle wild wombats, they could get hurt and it could be stressful for the wombat."
After learning about the 'burrow flap' method of treating mange in wombats, Jenny and her husband established a Victorian based program in 2012 that would enable members of the public to treat wombats with mange on their own properties.
Now, a range of treatments are available. Dr Julie Old, President of Australian Wildlife Society, said there are inherent difficulties in treating wombats.
"Because wombats move around so much, it's really hard to make sure you can do multiple treatments of wombats," Dr Old said.
"They do live in burrows, they weigh up to 40 kilos, and they're nocturnal."
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Dr Carver has been trialing a new drug called Bravecto, used for treating ticks and fleas in cats and dogs, on wombats suffering from mange.
"We've been working with three different populations of wombats, and treating individuals for mange disease and following them in different ways, which is quite challenging with wild animals, because often people will treat a wombat and they may never see it again," Dr Carver said.
"With Bravecto we're able to cure and reduce more severe disease in wombats across these locations. It's an effective treatment."
Wombats perform a vital role in our ecosystem. They can improve soil health by bringing important nutrients to the surface and help organic matter and plant seedling mix into compacted soil through their burrowing actions.
Dr Julie Old's citizen science project Womsat encourages people to document wombats in their local area, to collect data and aid their conservation.
