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Bulletin
Number 25 Our last Bulletin was described by one member as one of the most “depressing” yet, focussed as it was on the difficult slog in N.S.W. to stop wombat culling. This bulletin, following the Victorian fires and the announcement in Victoria that the Liberal Senator Philip Davis, member for Eastern Victoria,has secured an undertaking from Gavin Jennings, the minister for Environment and Climate Change, to NOT change provisions allowing 193 parishes to cull wombats without licenses being required,let alone the boring A.G.M.prelminaries; looked set to rival the “depressiveness” of the previous one! So not only do we welcome new member Erin Whitford from Victoria but bless her cotton socks for some heartwarming stories of what it is all really about. Caring for wombats and the joy and inspiration that such a priviledge generates. We will have to incorporate some of the “depressing” stuff, but we'll try and do it in a positive way so you'll hang in there reading.
Boulder's Story BOULDER was found 2 days after the fires digging in the bottom of an empty dam on a burnt out cattle property (Boulder Hill). He was emaciated, weighing 7 kilos when he should have been 12 kilos and terribly dehydrated. He had an incredibly heavy tick burden and was anaemic as a result.Boulder must have been in trouble before the fires to be in such poor condition. The pads of his feet and underbelly had superficial burns. He was the saddest little wombat I have ever encountered. He lay listlessly in my lap for a week as I poured milk formula and liquid iron supplement into him and picked off the ticks. He was too weak to use an insecticide on at that point.
Boulder's biggest problem was smoke inhalation.It was very upsetting listening to him wheeze and cough at night - that first week I was surprised to find him alive each morning. Seven weeks later, Boulder is unrecognisable as that miserable little wombat. I am guessing he is about 14 kilos now. I have to guess because I can't get near him!! He is in an outdoor enclosure where he spends most of the time working on his burrow. He comes out for sunshine and enormous amounts of food in the morning and late at night. He looks fantastic and is behaving like a wild wombat should. If he were in the wild he would still be with his Mum and as such he will be several more months in care here. While I wish I could get another cuddle out of him, I am really thrilled at his progress and get great satisfaction watching him from a distance being a wild wombat.
Arlo's Story Since the fires lots of wildlife are being killed on Yackandandah road as they cross from the burnt bush to get to the creek. One morning I drove out early to find 2 kangaroos, one wallaby and a wombat all killed in a 500 metre stretch. That morning I pulled a joey kangaroo and a tiny pink wombat out of pouches.
ARLO weighed 140grams and his eyes were closed. He is fed every 3 hours around the clock and massaged with paw paw cream to prevent his skin drying out. Apart from the usual difficulties with 'pinkies' he is doing well and today opened his eyes to look at the world! He would be about 2 months old and assuming he continues to progress, will be in care for another 14 months.
(Ed) Arlo is a bit of a miracle baby and a very luckly little fellow in more ways than one. Some carers still believe you cannot raise such small wombats and euthanise these littlies, despite many carers having successfully raised big healthy heffalumps from this size and smaller. If you are working with such small wombats there are a few things to consider, not the least of which is whether your wildlife group has anyone with experience in working with very little orphans. The Society has around 10 members who have successfully raised from as small as 50 grams so if you need some advice from those who've been there before, contact and we'll put you in touch.The two main ingredients of success are reported to be good “mothering” / “substitute parenting” and finding an appropriate feed formula both type and times.Erin is doing three hourly feeds around the clock and Arlo is 140grams, as a general rule, the smaller the joey, the more frequently they will need to be fed.
Annie's Story Annie is named for the owner of Costa's Trees, a plant business set deep in the Mudgegonga bush. It is an area teeming with wildlife, particularly wombats. Somehow, Dave and Anne managed to save their home and a few sheds, but essentially the business was destroyed as all plant stock burned. Anne still has nightmares about the screaming she heard in the bush that night.
Ten days after the fire Anne found little Annie (2 kilo) rattling round one of the sheds. Apart from being hungry, dehydrated and exhausted, Annie appeared in reasonable condition with just a burnt tail. Of course it was not that simple.After a few days in care I felt a hard scabby plaque under Annie's fur. She had to be anaethetised as vets attended to the growth. It turned out to be the fungal infection; ringworm - possibly exacerbated in the hot humid conditions in the burrow the week leading up to the fire. The infection was quite extensive, covering most of her back . Ringworm takes a long time to get rid of and is highly contagious. This has been a problem given Annie's abandonment issues!! Being on her own for so long has resulted in a very clingy wombat. She does not settle after a bottle as most hand raised wombats do and she becomes quite distressed if she thinks you are not nearby. She is always on high alert. There has been nothing for it but to stick her in a pouch down my jumper and carry her about for a good part of the day. Like this she sleeps like a baby. Guess who has ringworm? She has also doubled in weight so is quite heavy. Without wishing the death of another wombat, the best thing for Annie would be a buddy. Other shelters in the area are aware of this and will hand on any wombat around the same size that might come in. With a consistant routine and stability she is starting to relax and sleep for longer periods on her own.
Erin Whitford Ovens Valley Wildlife Shelter Myrtleford
Annual General Meeting The Society's Annual General Meeting is conducted throughout the month to allow members in all States to participate. Those members on email would have received notice of this and the formation of an agenda.Members who receive information from the Society by postal mail are encouraged to telephone the Society (02 64938245) if they have items for the meeting as mail may prove too slow. The Society declares all positions vacant each year and encourages members to nominate for positions such as Directors and Public Officer. Members on email were sent the following information. ----
Original Message ----- Hello All, The Wombat Protection Society is conducting its Annual General Meeting currently. As you know, members are distributed throughout Australia so the meeting will run throughout April to give everyone time to participate. The first thing that you might want to consider is whether you would like to hold an office bearers' position. Directors are particularly needed in Victoria and Tasmania and while it is possible to be a Director who doesn't use a computer, it would be handy if you can. Directors' main responsibilities include approving expenditure, and ensuring that Company rules are followed .... for example making sure an A.G.M. is held, that audits are conducted and that the Society does what it was set up to do. You don't need to be a financial expert, the Public Officer sends out finalised accounts, writes an easy to read report to the directors and explains what expenses have occurred. If you can run your own bank account , you will be able to understand the financial reports. From these, of course flow the more interesting decisions, such as can we afford to buy more Cydectin, how we respond to current issues such as the Victorian Fires or the recent media releases in Victoria where continuing to cull wombats without licenses is being discussed.Board meetings are conducted over the month with emails or telephone calls used rather than face to face meetings, again due to the location of Directors. If you could assist in this area, please let us know.Two N.S.W. Directors are happy to retire should any N.S.W. folks wish to take up the reigns and the Public Fund which has a different board would like to hear from anyone who would be happy to sit on this board. This board oversees donations to the Society. Last year we put a set of proposals to all members to help define how the Society would conduct its business over the year. These proposals included a vote on whether associate members could vote (which was passed) ; we will use the same format this year so if you have an idea about something you'd like all members to consider, send that to us and we'll turn it into a proposal that members can vote on during this A.G.M. It is intended that a firm agenda will be sent out to you next week so get your thinking caps on or send us that burning issue you feel needs addressing. We are sometimes asked who "we" are and the answer is you, the members. There is no bumbling burocracy creaking away, just a lot of people who care about wombats and their issues and through their concern thousands of other people become educated and helped to learn about wombats and appreciate what a treasure you care about. In addition, thousands of wombats have been helped just because you care. Please be heard, please contribute and don't feel anything you have to say isn't important. It is. To help contain the emails from this process would you send them to directors@wombatprotection.org.au rather than the general info@ . To assist we have used directors@ as the send out address above, so you can hit reply to this email and send. It would be helpful if you know your membership number and include it, but don't worry if you can't locate it we can deal with names. Next year we would like the A.G.M. to be conducted via the forum that is now on site at www.wombatprotection.org.au which will mean everyone will see people's input as it is given, so if you haven't logged on and joined that forum please do so. Best regards to all, Amanda
Cox
Protecting Wombats 2009... Wombats continued to be killed throughout Australia, with the exception of Queensland due to the endangered remaining wombats located there residing in a fully protected area now called Epping Forest National Park. They are killed in large numbers by three main factors. Mange, the insidious mite infestation which wombats cannot recover from without assistance wipes out thousands of wombats yearly. Road kill which also sees thousands of wombats killed each year continues unabated. “Culling” the intentional shooting, gassing and death by burrow ripping of wombats occurs primarily on private properties often with the approval and sanction of State Governments which have responsibility for wildlife management. Through the concern and skill of members a lot of information, ideas and solutions to these three main problems for wombats have been found . All battles to save native animals are long and often involve a range of problems to be resolved. ...BY STOPPING MANGE A number of members have confirmed reversing clinical signs of mange on wombats using Cydectin® a product used to remove mites and a range of parasites from cattle and red deer. Their field studies indicate that the product needs to used at a higher rate (weekly) than that recommended for preventative treatment (once monthly) and for a longer time (eight weeks). Members have reported similar findings using the dog spot on product Revolution® where reports include needing to use it fortnightly ,again for a number of months.Those members using sulphur in oil always reported on the length of time needed to control mites as being a number of months and many prefer the sulphur in oil method because they feel the oil smothers superficial mites and lasts longer between treatments.Lee Skerratt's thesis on mange on wombats published in 2001 showed that using subcutaneous ivomec® injections at 10 day intervals resolved clinical signs of mange after 3 injections but a further 3 were needed to ensure all mites were removed. A few issues relate to all these findings. In general it seems whatever is used on a wombat to reverse the mite infestation needs to be used over a period of time which seems to cover at least two full life cycles of the mite. Lee's paper discusses a number of studies about the mite which suggest the mite can live between 3-5 weeks in the animal and up to 3 weeks off an host .The treatment for at least eight weeks makes a good deal of sense in this regard. The next question to answer is why does it seem that wombats need to be treated at higher dose rates than eutherian animals (deers, dogs, cows, sheep etc). It is known wombats have a much thicker dermis (skin) than the eutherian animals upon which such products are tested and used so it is probable that products which are transdermal (like pour ons and spot ons- Cydectin® and Revolution®) may have less efficacy as they do not work as well systemically because they do not pass through the skin as well as they do on animals with thinner skin layers. A further explanation may come from the wombats' nearest relative, the Koala. Koalas need up to a factor of 10 higher doses of certain antibiotics to attain the same clinical efficacy as an eutherian animal. This may be either because of the “eucalyptus pesto” in the Koalas' stomach stopping some of the properties of antibiotics ( which isn't the case for grass eating wombats) or a result of slow metabolisms ( which is the case with wombats.) The Society roduces a pamphlet about mange and thanks to the World Society For The Protection of Animals grant will have these printed. The Society has also been able to provide Cydectin® to a numer of rehabilitation groups and idividuals and run a number of workshops showing people how to treat free living wombats.
...BY STOPPING ROAD KILL
Wombats running head on into cars do so because that is their natural behaviour. A lot of people don't know how a wombat is likely to behave or even where wombats might be. For many,it is ignorance that leads them to kill a wombat. Many are traumatised by this event. There is nothing sadder than watching helplessly as a wombat dies slowly after being hit by a car. Very few survive and despite the Australian overseas media hype about “Vet hospitals saving native animals”, it is a rare and lucky wombat that gets veterinary treatment after a road accident. Most die where they are hit. One of the reasons they don't get treatment is that wildlife groups cannot afford what could be thousands of dollars in costs to undertake surgery on an individual animal. The occassional lucky one falls into the hands of either an extraordinary vet. and/or someone who pays out of their own pocket for treatment, often having to hide this from “authorities” who they fear will argue against the animal getting treatment.
It has been quite difficult for the Road Kill Mitigation Group to get much action from the Roads and Traffic Authority to help in mitigating road kill by putting up more signs where wombats regularly cross Highways. Local Councils have varied in their responses but in general are much more likely to be pressured by locals into having wombat signs erected than the R.T.A. whose responsbilities take in some of the biggest death traps for wombats, highways. Despite having been written to by the Society and told that wombat deaths are second only to those of kangaroos and that wombats have regular and well known crossing places, the R.T.A. in N.S.W. continues to fail to protect wombats or motorists. It may well be the case that a motorist who is hurt after hitting a wombat would have a case, at least in N.S.W., against the government for failure to erect appropriate warning signs. As insurance companies also carry costs associated with damaged vehicles, it is surprising they haven't mounted some type of action. The Society produces a road mitgation pamphlet and would like to see drivers being educated about the habits and hazards for native animals as part of general driver education.The pamphlet also explains how to rescue a joey and what to do if a wombat is hit.
GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED KILLING OF WOMBATS Australia has a long and bloody history of ruthlessly killing native animals. A recent book published by C.S.I.R.O. documents the fate of the wombats' nearest relative, the Koala in this respect. Millions of their skins were sent overseas in a wholesale slaughter of this animal which really only began to stop, according to the book's author, when Norman Lindsay introduced a Koala character as a vehicle for his satire on Australian life. Perhaps we need an equivalent of Billy Blue Gum in Wilma or Wilbur the wombat. Last year NSW NPWS admitted it did not have a policy pertaining to how licenses were issued in N.S.W. to farmers wanting to kill Wombats and it admitted that it didn't know how many wombats such licenses covered nor how many were killed. It admitted it depended upon the office and the officer as to whether any property inspection occurred ,admitted supervision of killing never did occur nor were any steps taken to ensure that killing was undertaken humanely or limited to the animals approved. Despite many letters from many members to many politicians this is where the matter stands. The Southern Region of N.P.W.S. in N.S.W. promised last year to set up a “review” of its policies which it has not done. The remaining five areas in N.S.W. failed to provide their numbers and have not even promised to set up a review. An appallingly slack and unacceptable performance by all by anyone's standards. The Society responded by setting up on- line and paper petitions to get people to ask the Government to “Stop Killing Wombats”. These have been signed by a thousand people and comments from overseas people are particularly interesting to read. They reinforce that the wombat belongs to the world, not the tiny minority who would wish them harm. Many members were infuriated by departmental spokespersons providing incorrect information about wombats- such as “population numbers in N.S.W. had increased because N.P.W.S. killed foxes and dogs (and a whole range of by-catch as well) through its poison baiting programs) .They tried an Apex predator theory to suggest that because foxes and dogs weren't munching on as many wombats, their numbers had increased. When asked to explain where they'd got their information-their answer was they had been asked for more licenses to kill wombats. It was interesting to note that these are the same licenses they don't collate across regions and don't know how may are issued. There was an old saying that you shouldn't let the poacher count the game and it seems apt. (Foxes and dogs while found to have wombat hairs in their stomach on occasion are much more likely to have been eating road kill than preying on them) But, fortunately for the current awardee of the most idiotic things said about wombats,John Dengate; (who spoke for N.P.W.S. on the matter discussed above)he has a contender in Victorian Liberal M.P. for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis; and the “political double speaking” Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Gavin Jennings seems to be giving both a decent nip on the heels. A “review” of the exemption of 193 parishes allowed to kill wombats witout licenses led to a press release from Philip Davis and used the following statements. “Mr Davis told Parliament the east of the state was the area with the highest concentration of wombats. He cited the example of Merriman's Creek where wombat burrows in the banks have led to severe erosion” The Minister is claimed to “have given a guarantee that the review will not lead to the removal of opportunities for landholders or other members of the community to protect their environment or their landholdings from wombats” , (thus predicting the outcome of a review ; you usually make decisions based on what you review, not review the decision you have already made). Mr Davis uses a quote from the Director of the Department of Sustainability and Environment Dr. Paul Smith ,as “affirming that wombats are abundant through their range and are secure from a conservation perspective”. A.B.C. Radio asked the Wombat Potection Society to comment on this press release and these comments aired on Friday March 20th 2009. Victorian farmers shouldn't worry about any restrictions potential licenses might impose on them if the N.S.W. regulatory system is anything to go by, as it affords no protection to wombats. Farmers have been shooting wombats out of properties for decades and want to continue to do so yet it doesn't work. If something doesn't work, you generally stop and ask why, or is there another way. Humans are meant to be the big brained animals, but to continue to do something that doesn't work shows little intelligence. Wombats are not the cause of riparian zone erosion;stock and agricultural equipment are. After the devastating fires in Victoria and the huge impact on fencing, now would be the time to develop a vision which would overcome some of the perceived problems. 90% of the problems with wombats are based in the river or creek zone because we allow stock to wander through and need to chase them with heavy equipment destroying burrows in the process. A revegetated riparian zone with an in use wombat burrow shows no erosion.
The riparian zone has no growth to hold it because stock have eaten it bare so it erodes through wind or water, not wombats. This would be the greatest opportunity for Victoria to fence its riparian zone, leaving large tracts of land before the fences and creating wildlife corridoors that could be part of the Federal government's wildlife corridoor program. Carbon sequestered in these corridoors could be of more value to farmers than stock . Replanted,mighty rivers and creeks could start flowing and stop eroding and water quality would improve because stock are fenced out and watered in paddocks. Wombat burrows and their activities would no longer be an issue. Wombat burrows served the purpose of the natural river bank or creek, they flooded on occassional creating fish and other aquatic creature spawning sites and helped the river or creek be “alive”, changing course and feeding the land. Our habit of expecting rivers and creeks to run in straight lines less than a metre away from a fence perched precariously on its bank and then removing all the understorey and canopy that creates an eco system which works in harmony within the riparian zone has led to the abysmal quality and quantity of water in the Australian river systems. The Society responds to any material that may cause harm to wombats through responding to media releases .It also produces a pamphlet, Shooting Wombats- Its' a Mug's Game which explains that farmers who shoot wombats actually create a recruitment system by shooting out territorial wombats and inviting new wombats in. New and younger wombats tend to dig new holes. (holes and pushing under fences are farmer's main complaints).It also produces “a new landowners letter”, to educate people who buy property with free living wombats living on it and helps people resolve fence issues with wombats. And finally, to expain why we thought the runner up quote from Dr Paul Smith “affirming wombats are abundant through their range” or more particularly, Mr. Davis's use of it was worthy of a guernsey for the misinformation award; The Critically endangered Northern Hairy Nosed wombat of which only 115 individuals of an entire species remain, is “abundant through their range” and that is because all 115 live in one isolated range – Epping National Park in an enclosed facility in Queensland. Barbara Triggs in her book “The Wombat” and other researchers have explained that the wombats' range has decreased and become restricted since settlement, moving eastwards. Being “secure from a conservation perspective” simply means we aren't about to lose the species immediately, it doesn't mean we aren't losing thousands of animals and restricting their range and it doesn't mean we aren't removing them entirely from some many areas. As no census on wombats has ever been undertaken in Australia, the Society has plans for a simple census to occur later this year. It will simply register by suburb or town name whether wombats are seen in that area. Simple information like this is not available currently.
Photographs in this edition come from members the Bakers, the Alders, the Holmes, Erin Whitfrod and stock Society photographs. |
