Fears wombats will be wiped out as permits to shoot the protected marsupials increase

Victoria has been dubbed “the killing state” by wildlife warriors after permits to execute almost 2000 wombats were approved.

Rescued wombat joeys are bottle feed every four hours and stay with carers for two years. Picture: supplied

Wildlife warriors are calling for greater scrutiny of shoot to kill permits given to “gun happy” farmers applying to destroy wombats amid fears the protected species will be wiped out.

The Wombat Protection Society also wants old school attitudes to change by teaching land owners how to live with the iconic animals.

In 2023 the Conservation Regulator issued 222 lethal Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) licences to allow 1902 wombats to be destroyed.

The number of permits granted has gradually risen since changes to the Wildlife Act in 2020 made it illegal for farmers to shoot wombats without a ATCW.

Wildlife carers say wombats are at risk of being wiped out by culls, disease and habitat loss. Picture: supplied

Wombat Protection Society director Jenny Mattingley said Victoria had been dubbed “the killing state” in the wake of permission given for the legal destruction of up to 84,958 wombats, kangaroos and wallabies in 2023.

Ms Mattingley said wombat numbers across the state were unknown and the marsupial was also under siege from mange (disease caused by a parasitic mite) and a loss of habitat due to fires and floods.

An increasing number of wombats were also dying on the roads as they searched for new feeding territories.

“It’s a concern that more and more permits to cull are being approved when we don’t know how many wombats there are,” Ms Mattingley said.

“There are also gun happy farmers shooting wombats illegally.

“These are iconic Australian animals and should be protected.”

She acknowledged that wombats could cause problems on farms by damaging rabbit-proof fencing, burrowing in pasture, creating hazardous holes for stock and vehicles and undermining dams and buildings.

However, there were ways to “mitigate their minor nuisance value without actually destroying them”.

Swing gates can help prevent damage to fences and allow wombat access to their feeding grounds. Picture: supplied

According to the Conservation Regulator all ATCW applications were assessed to ensure the proposed control was necessary under the Wildlife Act 1975.

“Proactive compliance activities” were carried out to ensure permit holders complied with the conditions of their licence and all reports of noncompliance were investigated.

South Gippsland sheep farmer and wildlife rescuer Ali Martin counted 15-20 holes under a 150m stretch of fencing on her property.

“Sheep can die from falling down a wombat burrow … in high rainfall the burrows can cave in,” Ms Martin said.

But shooting them wasn’t the answer, she said.

“There are a lot of nonlethal options that can be considered,” she said.

“Unfortunately farming tends to be generational, a lot of today’s farmers still do what their fathers and grandfathers before them did and that means shooting wombats.”

There were also those who regarded wombats as vermin and would illegally shoot them outside their properties.

“There’s a hatred there which I don’t understand,” Ms Martin said.

This wombat was found shot dead in South Gippsland with a joey still in her pouch. Picture: supplied

After moving to her property in 2018, Ms Martin started rescuing joeys left behind when their mum was shot or killed on the roads.

“We have six joeys at the moment,” she said.

“They have to be bottle fed, every four hours to begin with.”

The joeys stay on the farm for at least two years before they are ready to be released into the wild.

Ms Martin has also worked with the Wombat Protection Society on an information kit for farmers with alternatives to killing wombats and trialled a swing gate that allowed the animal to enter and exit a property without damaging the fence.

“There are a lot of myths and outdated information out there about wombats,” Ms Martin said.

“Education is the key to changing attitudes and protecting them.”

The Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Change said since 2015, the government had invested $6.3 million to support the work of foster carers, authorised wildlife shelter operators and key wildlife organisations to deliver improved native wildlife welfare.