Field trials to begin to see if new wombat mange can halt decline

Tassie’s wombats are dying from a cruel disease, but there’s now new hope they can be saved.

Scott Carver and anaesthetised wombat

A BREAKTHROUGH in the treatment of sarcoptic mange in wombats will be tested via field trials in both Tasmania and New South Wales next year, in a move which could ultimately save local populations from the cruel disease.

A large-scale mange outbreak was first noted in Tasmania’s wombat population at Narawntapu National Park in 2010.

There are now only up to 10 wombats left there, and infected wombats are being found across the state.

Community groups such as Wombat Rescue have been using Cydectin to treat sick wombats in their burrows, and kits have been sent to volunteers as far afield as Cradle Mountain, Epping Forest, the Great Lakes and Huonville.

But a better solution was needed, said Dr Scott Carver, of the University of Tasmania.

Dr Scott Carver with an anaesthetised wombat. Picture: SUPPLIED

He has been working for the past 18 months to find a more effective treatment — using funds previously given by the Tasmanian State Government towards combating wombat mange disease — and has now proved a product used to treat mange in dogs is safe to use on wombats.

Dr Carver — leading a team of researchers from UTAS, University of the Sunshine Coase and University of Sydney — has received an Australian Research Council Linkage Project grant.

With support from partners DPIWPE, Hydro Tasmania, Highland Conservation, Bonorong Wildlife Park, MSD Animal Health and WaterNSW, the grant will allow field trials to be undertaken early next year.

Oscar the wombat was affected by mange. Following treatment, Oscar has fully recovered and and has regrown his fur two and a half months later. Picture: SUPPLIED

“It is not a vaccine but a treatment called Bravecto, which is a much longer-lasting and effective treatment than Cydectin,” Dr Carver said.

“The chemical used is relatively new to the market and really long-lasting.

“One of the problems with treating wild wombats is that Cydectin, while effective, only protects for a week. Wombats are also not very easy patients to work with. They are hard to track and overlap with infected animals as the treatment is wearing off, meaning they can easily get reinfected.

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“We have found that Bravecto protects for over three months, and indications are a single treatment at the same dose as a similarly sized dog will break the mange mite cycle.”

Dr Carver’s first trials, conducted at Bonorong Wildlife Park in collaboration from Zoodoo, determined Bravecto was safe to use on wombats.

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“Since then I have been working with Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue & Hospital in NSW, one of few places able to manage sick wombats in captivity,” he said.

“We have treated three with mange. Each were given a single dose and all have shown remarkably rapid recovery.”

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