Scratching to death

NEW research has found many wombats infected with mange are dying from starvation because they spend more time scratching than eating the extra food they need to survive once infected.

The University of Tasmania research has been published in the Royal Society journal Open Science.

Researchers said they were working closely with the State Government and were excited about what the findings might mean for the welfare of indi- vidual diseased wombats.

Tasmania’s bare-nosed wombat population has been devastated by sarcoptic mange since the first outbreak of the disease at Narawntapu National Park in the State’s north, in which the local population fell by 94 per cent in seven years. The disease has since spread to all parts of Tasmania and in 2016, the State Government allocated $100,000 to help an army of wombat warriors drench and care for sick animals, take in orphans and to fund more research into the problem.

Sarcoptic mange is caused by skin-burrowing parasites and causes hair loss, skin thickening, blindness and death.

The latest research led by UTAS School of Natural Sciences researcher Alynn Martin shows sarcoptic mange also causes a major loss of body heat, a much higher metabolic rate, detrimental behaviour changes and alteration of fat composition in wombats.

The loss of heat and the rise in metabolism causes infected wombats to burn up lots of energy. But because the disease restricts their foraging efforts, the animals cannot eat enough to replace energy levels, and they can starve.

The new findings particularly challenge past assump- tions that wombats with mange spent more time foraging.

“This research addresses critical knowledge gaps about the impact of physiological changes in wombats with mange, giving us a more comprehensive picture of the health implications,” Ms Martin said.

“We found while wombats with sarcoptic mange do spend more time out of their burrows, they actually spend less time foraging and more time resting and itching because of the mange.”

The research also showed changes in fatty tissue composition in wombats with mange, suggesting a high-fat diet might help treat the disease.

With sarcoptic mange affecting more than 100 animal species globally, it is also hoped the latest research, which is part of a broader, collaborative wildlife disease research project, can also be applied to other species.