Work of a wombat warrior recognised

JOHN Harris says he’s proud to be the “friendly face” of stricken wombats as he continues to fight the scourge of sarcoptic mange.

Mr Harris, of Kelso in northern Tasmania, was part of the first group of community volunteers who started treating infected wombats in the wild.

The group has also gained permits to build sanctuaries to isolate healthy wombats from the infected population.

Since then, Wombat Warriors and Wombat Rescue Tasmania have brought about a change in the State Government’s stance on the wombats’ plight.

They obtained funding to help fight the epidemic and for more research to be conducted into the spread of the disease.

They have also rallied on Parliament House lawns to stop healthy wombats being shot by landowners.

In October, a 33,000- signature petition asking the Government to stop issuing culling permits was delivered.

The wombats’ plight came to public attention last year when it was reported that more than 90 per cent of the onceabundant population at Narawntapu National Park had died from the disease. Mange has now spread to wombat populations across the state.

Mr Harris has been nominated for a Pride of Australia medal for his role in the campaign to stop the wombat from becoming extinct.

“There are many, many people involved in campaign but we did need a public face to push the cause and it was a role I happily accepted,” he said.

“The Government still will not acknowledge it is a statewide epidemic. But mange is now impacting wombats on Hobart’s doorstep, so that might change.”

Do you know a local hero who deserves to be recognised? Nominate them now at pride ofaustralia.com.au