On our second day in Wolgan Valley, when we walked back to our villa
We saw a Wombat
What a surprise!
We were so excited to see a Wombat
But then we found that the Wombat may has health problem …
It seems that the Wombat has skin problem …
Hair loss and thickened skin
and itchy skin
On the same evening, we had a Nocturnal tour. The tour guide told us that a lot of wombats are suffering from a deadly disease called sarcastic mange. Mange infection can result in aggressive scratching, hair loss, skin thickening, and skin discolouration, as a result of scabs around the face, the wombats may appear deaf and or blind. In severe cases, death as a result of secondary infection and suppressed immune system.
We told the tour guide that we saw a infected Wombat near our villa, but the guide said that they cannot do anything to help …
We saw the Wombat again in the next day …
Usually Wombats stay in their burrows during daytime to stay out of the heat, they only come out at night and or in cooler mornings and evening. However as the infected Wombats have a higher energy requirement, they need to search for food for a longer time and therefore they come out during daytime.
It is not a good sign to see a Wombat during daytime.
It is heartbreaking …