Wombat Welfare and Mange Control

Bare-nosed wombats across Australia suffer severely from sarcoptic mange, a parasitic skin disease that causes prolonged suffering and death without treatment intervention.

Key Facts

Sarcoptic mange causes hair loss, crusty skin lesions, blindness, and death in wombats
Wombats may take over a year to die from mange, suffering throughout
Treatment involves placing medicated sponges in burrow entrances that wombats brush through as they exit
Mange has decimated wombat populations in parts of southern and eastern Australia
The Mange Management Program has treated thousands of wombats using burrow-based sponge treatment
Southern hairy-nosed wombats in South Australia are also affected but less commonly treated

Welfare Considerations

Wombats dying of mange experience months of progressive suffering: intense itching from mite burrowing in the skin, secondary bacterial infections in open sores, thickened crusted skin that restricts movement, and eventual blindness from lesions around the eyes. Animals in late-stage mange are often found wandering during daylight hours in obvious distress, seeking warmth because their insulation has been lost. The duration of suffering — sometimes exceeding a year — makes sarcoptic mange one of the most prolonged and severe wildlife welfare crises currently addressable by intervention.

What You Can Do

Donate to the Mange Management Program and similar wombat treatment initiatives
Report mange-affected wombats with GPS coordinates to treatment organizations
If on agricultural land with wombats, participate in burrow treatment programs
Support research into more effective and scalable mange treatment delivery methods
Advocate for wildlife disease management funding from state and federal governments
Learn to recognize mange signs in wombats and act immediately on observations