How much time, effort and money is spent caring for wombats?

Abstract

Wildlife care and rehabilitation are undertaken by thousands of volunteers throughout Australia every year. Bare-nosed (Vombatus ursinus) and southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) regularly come into care, with the demands on wombat carers and the numbers of wombats increasing. Understanding the burdens placed on wombat carers and rehabilitators will provide information to wildlife managers to assess the risks to wombats and document the concerns of wildlife carers. Data were collected via an online quantitative and qualitative survey using Qualtrics. The survey was distributed through Facebook groups to wombat carers and rehabilitators and received 22 responses. The survey confirmed that caring for wombats is time-consuming and expensive, particularly when raising wombat joeys. Both adult and juvenile wombats were brought into care; the most common reasons were vehicle collisions, sarcoptic mange, and injuries resulting from dog or wombat attacks. Despite the significant financial and mental health costs to wombat carers, in most cases, carers thought young wombats that came into care were successfully rehabilitated and re-introduced into their natural habitat. Our study provides insights into the issues facing wombats, the people that care for wombats, and the wider carer sector.