In the Australian bush, a conservationist tracks a wombat named Hope, one of many of these marsupials suffering from mange. The worry is that mange could decimate the marsupial population and have widespread consequences.
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00:00In the Australian bush, a conservationist tracks a wombat named Hoaf, one of many of
00:08these marsupials suffering from mange.
00:11So, it will in 100% of cases wipe them out, especially if you let it run rampant, but
00:17obviously there's community groups all across the country trying to do their best, but it's
00:20not enough.
00:21That's conservationist Melina Button, who founded Blue Mountains Wombat Conservation
00:25Group in 2020.
00:27She says mange is one of the biggest causes of death in wombats and could decimate the
00:32species if left unchecked.
00:34Here, she uses the flap system for administering medicine at the site of one wombat burrow.
00:39So, the wombat either comes out or in, it'll start on the back of their neck and go all
00:45the way down their back.
00:46According to Reuters, mange is a skin disease caused by parasitic mites that burrow into
00:50the skin of the infected mammal and can lead to secondary infections, maggots, malnutrition,
00:56renal failure, and ultimately, death.
00:59The group of volunteers treat up to 200 wombats at a time.
01:02Oh, look, at the end of the day, mange affects most mammals within Australia, and it also
01:08affects the agricultural industry, like it affects cows, it affects horses, it affects
01:13the farm dog, your family dog.
01:15Button points to climate change, with more fires and drought affecting a wombat's resiliency.
01:20And even if she manages to track down wombats like Hoaf, who she hasn't seen in a few weeks,
01:26they need to be treated once a week for several weeks, and immunity isn't permanent from the
01:31highly contagious disease.
01:33Originally, I thought we were making a difference, but now I feel like we're just not America
01:37around.
01:38But you can't stop.
01:39I mean, you can't just let something die a very slow and painful death and do nothing.