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On top of Canbewarra Mountain, Michaela Packer, owner of the Lookout Café, weekly goes out in search of wombats. She is equipped with a long wooden pole with a small cup taped to the end. Wombats are usually nocturnal, but Scabbers, the resident wombat, will be grazing on the edge of the tree line. Using the pole, Michaela will douse her in Cydectin, which is an approved non-contact method for treating Sarcoptic mange. Mange comes from the parasitic scabies mite that lays its eggs under the skin of a host body. When the eggs hatch, the mites will tunnel their way across the body, causing the skin to itch and harden. As mange was introduced to Australia, wombats have no resistance. The wombats will excessively scratch, until their skin is covered in scabs and open wounds. The wounds will often be infested by maggots, and poor metabolism will mean the wombat has to eat constantly. Infected wombats will be seen during the day, rendered temporarily blind from scabbing around the eyes. Without treatment, wombats will either die from hypothermia or starvation. Mange is also highly contagious, so Scabbers most likely contracted the disease from a dead wombat, or the inside on an empty burrow. Treatment takes up to 10 weeks or more, depending on both the condition of the wombat, and when the scabs have fallen off. While Scabbers looks worse for wear around her sides and neck, her condition has improved significantly since the treatment started. "There's been a mange problem for quite a while, you see them on the side of the roads and in the paddocks looking quite unhealthy." Michaela said. "A few months ago we had our wombat move in, and she turned up looking rather unsightly. We've taken it upon ourselves as custodians of the place to take care of our wombats. Hopefully we'll be able to change her name to something more glamorous as she improves." Michaela is one of many volunteers who administer mange treatment to wombats. Mange has become a serious epidemic in south-eastern Australia. While there is no official census to track the contagion, the Wombat Protection Society of Australia has said most, if not all, bare-nosed wombats have some degree of infestation. WPSA member Shirley Lack has been rehabilitating orphaned Wombats for nearly 20 years. In that time, she's seen an unprecedented increase in mange cases but has had no support from the Australian Government. She said the government's negligence on mange prevention is animal cruelty. She believes if no action is taken, wombats will be extinct in less than 30 years. See also: Call for probe on Victoria wildlife extinction Adani faces more legal pressure over mine EPA fines and job loses at Shoalhaven recycling "The government gives us absolutely nothing. They choose to put their head in the sand and ignore it. Governments are always been very keen to wait until something gets on the extinction register before they go, 'Oh, well, we should do something about that'. "And mange is a horrendous way for wombats to die. People have been educated that it can't be cured. It can be cured, and if we could get some grant money behind us we could put about a bigger public awareness." WPSA director and owner of the Jarake Wildlife Sanctuary on the Far South Coast Marie Wynan said while treatment was easily accessible, people would be more likely turn to euthanasia. Ms Wynan described euthanasia as a "Band-Aid" solution, as killing the animal wouldn't stop the spread of the contagion. Instead, the WPSA encourages the use of "burrow flaps", which treat wombats as they go in and out of their burrows. "If you go in and treat that wombat, then you're treating all the others in the area. One wombat uses many burrows. Their territory usually overlaps, so one wombat might walk into 10 to 15 burrows in one life, and sometimes they share a burrow. Even if the original wombat dies in the end, you might save another 50 wombats, by attempting to treat the first one." To help raise awareness, the WPSA is holding a National Mange Hub Symposium at Queanbeyan from August 31 to September 1. The symposium will hear from representatives of National Parks Australia, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, and researchers from the University of Western Sydney. The WSPA hopes to put together a business plan for the continued distribution of Cydectin to volunteers. It also hopes to get the government to start taking action against the mange epidemic. "It's very treatable with the right dose rate, and the right treatment," said Ms Lack. "We're holding this symposium so we can spread the word, to try and get to the Minister [of Environment], and make him aware. Once the symposium's over and we have some firm results, and some firm documentation, we might be able to go to the minister and at least get some funding for the Cydectin. "To buy 15 litres of Cydectin costs $1200. We buy that and give it out freely." "The government needs to support us, they don't and we need to put pressure on them," Ms Wynan said. "Our carers are going out and treating wombats out of our own pocket and its' just not sustainable, it's too expensive. We need big help with funding." For the moment, the WPSA has to rely on donations and volunteers like Michaela. "We have a duty of care to our native wildlife," Michaela said. "I think it's important what we do, making sure they have a safe place to be. We look after her, because we know the wombat charities in the area are so overtaxed as it is." While the symposium is not taking any more registrations, those interested are encouraged to visit the official WPSA website. All volunteers are required to go through an education course before they're allowed free access to Cydectin. For more information, on mange, wildlife rescue, and wombat protection please visit the following: The Wombat Protection Society of Australia Wildlife Rescue South Coast Jarake Wildlife Sanctuary Ltd. run by Marie Wynan

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