2021-11-12
The ACT Government is helping local environmental volunteers fight wombat mange in the ACT, providing funding to fight the itchy disease as well as launching new easy-to-use portal to track wombat sightings.
“Our native wombats are precious native animals, but they are susceptible to a debilitating skin infection caused by parasitic mites that burrow into the skin, often killing them,” Minister for the Environment, Rebecca Vassarotti said.
“Until recently, there hasn’t been dedicated, targeted funding for community groups to help the plight of wombats in the ACT. That is why I was delighted to provide $30,000 funding in the 2021-22 ACT Budget, as well as provide Canberrans with new resources at their fingertips to help target wombat mange.
“From today, the community can report wombat sightings through a new web portal so ACT Wildlife and Wombat Rescue can coordinate a quick response and provide treatment to sick and injured wombats if possible. This easy-to-use portal is one part of a larger project to attack wombat mange.
“A program to treat this mange in wombats will form part of a broader forthcoming wombat management strategy for the ACT, which will aim to maintain healthy and sustainable populations of wombats as part of our iconic native biodiversity of this region.
“The wombat mange project will deliver coordinated and comprehensive treatment across the ACT. The government is working with ACT Wildlife and Wombat Rescue to map wombat abundance and distribution in the ACT, including where there are occurrences of mange, so we have improved data on our populations and can better coordinate and target treatment where necessary.
“I welcome the involvement of ACT Wildlife and Wombat Rescue volunteers and University of Tasmania ecologists, whose extensive experience with treating wombats with mange is significantly helping to control this debilitating disease.”
This initiative progresses a commitment of the Parliamentary Agreement of the 10th Legislative Assembly by the ACT Labor-Greens Government.
You can find the new web portal linked to the ACT Government ArcGIS system. Find out more information about the ACT Government’s work on combating wombat mange on the ACT Environment website.
Quotes attributable to Lindy Butcher, President of ACT Wildlife:
“ACT Wildlife is pleased to be part of this important project that will improve wombat health. Our volunteers have already been working with wombat mange by treating burrows of infected animals, and we welcome any tools that will help us response quickly and efficiently. ACT Wildlife would like to thank the Government for establishing the new portal to help us reach sick and injured wombats quickly in the hope we can save more of these amazing mammals.”
Quotes attributable to Yolandi Vermaak of Wombat Rescue:
“Wombat Rescue is excited to be part of this project. Receiving information on wombat populations in the ACT will give us a much clearer picture of where the greatest needs are to treat mange. Wombat Rescue volunteers are already contributing their time and skills in mapping burrows across the ACT. The new portal will streamline our work in finding and treating wombats to that they can get back to their normal nocturnal lives.”