WOMBAT populations crippled by mange in the Narawntapu National Park could return to health within the next year, University of Tasmania researchers say.
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Mange – a deadly mite infection – ravished wombats in the state’s North-West last year.
Researchers believe 60 per cent of wombats in the Narawntapu National Park have been wiped out by the infection and wildlife experts predict the pest will never be eradicated from Tasmania.
But UTAS wildlife ecology lecturer Scott Carver holds hope.
Using an experimental treatment process, he is confident that wombat health in the area can be improved by May this year.
‘‘A wire frame goes over the wombat’s burrow entrances and a flap hangs down over it that has a little cap that contains Cydectin,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s simple and elegant, but it hasn’t yet been attempted on a population of wombats before. It’s an experiment, but we’re optimistic.’’
Mr Carver said researchers would begin trapping and tagging mange-infected wombats next month.
‘‘We don’t know how long it will take, but we should start to see the population recovering within a year.
‘‘We think we can treat enough individuals and create enough resistance to the mite, so that we can hopefully exterminate the mite over the next few months.’’
Researchers will also be tracking individual immune system responses to mange to determine why wombats are most susceptible to the pest.
There will also be further research carried out to determined how the mite arrived in Tasmania.
