In Narawntapu National Park, in the North of Tasmania, wombats are loosing their hair--and it's not from old age. The park's population of wombats is experiencing a massive outbreak of mange that officials worry will spread to the rest of the population. Approximately 50% of wombats in the park have been recorded as having some level of the condition and researchers are working on a solution. Mange is spread and caused by mites which burrow under the skin causing these marsupials to become lethargic, thirsty and general have degraded body conditions. To combat this, scientists have equipped burrows with flaps which spread mange treatment over the wombats as they enter and exit. Workers hope to see improvements within the next 6-12 months.
----Lauren Sweet
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-11/researchers-declare-war-on-wombat-mange-in-tasmanian-national-p/6010398
What an interesting article, Lauren! Thank you for sharing this hairy situation with us. I think it is incredibly interesting that scientists have found a way to spread mange treatment to so many wombats—but I wonder what happens to the populations they can't reach? How will the mange problem truly go away if there will always be some wombats who are still infected and may cause another outbreak? I guess time will only tell.
ReplyDelete