a guide to the ccaarree ooff bbaarree--nnoosseedd wwoommbbaattss version 3 care guide by linda dennis veterinary guide by kim rolls and anne fowler naturopathic guide by anne-marie dineen Bare-Nosed Wombat Vombatus ursinus © Linda Dennis “Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.” Dalai Lama created by Fauna First Aid is supported by a guide to the ccaarree ooff bbaarree--nnoosseedd wwoommbbaattss version 3 Bare-Nosed Wombat © Linda Dennis section 1 ......................................the care guide ................................... Page 7 section 2 .................................the veterinary guide ...........................Page 137 section 3 ............................... the naturopathic guide .........................Page 153 A Guide to the Care of Bare-Nosed Wombats Page 2 Fourth Crossing Wildlife www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com a note from Fauna First Aid I would like to send huge thanks to Shirley Lack and Kim Rolls who generously agreed to help present the inaugural care of bare-nosed wombats course in November 2005, which helped get this lecture program off the ground. Huge thanks to Kim Rolls and Anne Fowler who kindly agreed to write the veterinary guide and for all their advice and support over the years. And to Anne-Marie Dineen, I give many thanks for sharing her knowledge in the naturopathic guide - giving the wildlife community even more options for the quality care of Bare-Nosed Wombats - and Australian wildlife in general. Thanks to my much valued vets - Judith Carney (Summer Street Veterinary Centre), Kim Rolls (Orange Veterinary Hospital) and Sarah Butler (North Hill Veterinary Hospital) who have all helped me enormously with advice and discounted services over the years. Huge thanks also to Benn Bryant of Dubbo’s Veterinary and Quarantine Centre at Western Plains Zoo and Tim Portas of Australia Zoo who have both offered consultations, medications and advice free of charge. The care guide component of this manual has been written from personal experience while caring for Bare-Nosed Wombats as well as other Australian marsupials. My experience has been learnt due to the many individuals in the wildlife community who have been willing to share care information with me and from the many exceptional wildlife care guides that are made available to carers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have offered much valued advice and support throughout the years and those who have selflessly written guides on the care of native animals so that people - like me - can learn more. Many thanks to the following individuals and organisations for allowing me the use of their wombat photos for this guide; Carol Pullar, Sandra Stewart, Cara Lee, Shirley Lack, Marg Larner, Lorraine Bell, Sarah Trembath, Michele Barnes of Dreamworld in Queensland, Western Plains Zoo, Australian Museum Online, Museum Victoria, University of Edinburgh, Anne-Marie Dineen, Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Naracoorte Caves, Terri Eather Kay Muddiman, Stephanie Clarke, Wayne White, Helen Taylor and Robbie Taylor. Special thanks to Alan Horsup of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service for allowing me to use photos of the critically endangered Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat. I am exceptionally honoured to be given permission to use these very special photos. A big hug to my sister, Fiona Saxton, who proof read the guide and corrected the 7 million grammatical errors in the guide! Enormous gratitude and appreciation to: the Australian Geographic Society for supporting my Fauna First Aid wildlife lecture program. the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia for recognising my wildlife education work and awarding me the 2006 Serventy Conservation Medal Runner Up and for their continual support of my wildlife work. the International Fund for Animal Welfare for also recognising my work and awarding me the 2007 Animal Welfare and Education Award. And of course, massive thanks to my wonderful husband Todd, who has dealt admirably with my wildlife obsession……… and the crap that often goes with it. Kind regards, Linda Dennis Fauna First Aid Fourth Crossing Wildlife www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com dedicated to the conservation of Australian native animals.... A Guide to the Care of Bare-Nosed Wombats Page 3 Fourth Crossing Wildlife www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com Linda Dennis, course organiser, presenter and author of the care guide, can be contacted at [email protected] or on 0416 01 44 66. Kim Rolls, co-author of the veterinary guide, can be contacted at Orange Veterinary Hospital (02) 6361 8388. The vet hospital is located on Molong Road in Orange. Anne Fowler, co-author of the veterinary guide can be contacted at PO Box 1423, Healsville VIC 3775. Phone contact for Anne is 0409 503 379. Anne-Marie Dineen, author of the naturopathic guide can be contacted on (07) 5484 7354 or by email at [email protected]. Anne-Marie’s clinic is located at 389 Cogzell Road, Oakview QLD 4600 (near Kilkivan). Disclaimer This manual and accompanying course are designed to provide an overview of the care of Bare-Nosed Wombats. While every effort has been taken to include the complete data required to care for or raise Bare-Nosed Wombats, the authors and course presenters will not accept responsibility or liability for any error, omission or reliance upon the information or advice given. Each state and territory have different requirements for caring for wildlife, and most states require that a carer is licensed. While the course and this manual have provided the information to care for wombats, those wishing to care for them are responsible to see that they are appropriately licensed (if applicable). Any involvement in caring for wildlife is done entirely at your own risk. The authors and course presenters accept no liability for injuries or difficulties arising from your involvement. Material and photography* in this manual are protected by copyright. However, use of the material (only) is allowed for training purposes that benefit the wildlife community, with the expectation that the authors be advised prior to use. * All photography in this manual are protected by law and cannot be reproduced without permission from the owner/s. Graphics listings can be found in each section. Remember! Learning does not stop with this guide and accompanying course. You are encouraged to seek further advice and attend more courses to continually broaden your knowledge. You are also encouraged to build a support network across barriers such as regions and individual wildlife organisations. There is a page at the end of this guide where you can record contact details of people who have attended this course, as well as others you may already know. And please, share your knowledge - our precious Aussie critters can only benefit from it! A Guide to the Care of Bare-Nosed Wombats Version 3 2010 A Guide to the Care of Bare-Nosed Wombats Page 4 Fourth Crossing Wildlife www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com introduction linda dennis… My passion for Australian native animals was kick started nearly 10 years ago with my very first raptor experience at Eagle Heritage near Margaret River in Western Australia. After an up close and personal experience with a Black Kite perching on my gloved hand I vowed that I would soon work closely with these magnificent creatures. Some years later I held true to the vow and I become licensed to raise and rehabilitate native animals that had been injured, were sick or orphaned. And, with the help of my husband Todd, I have now been experiencing the joy of wildlife care for over 6 years. I have cared for many Australian native animals including several species of macropod and possum, various reptiles and many species of bird including my beloved Birds of Prey, in which I (1) specialised in for nearly 3 years. I had the immense pleasure of successfully rehabilitating and releasing many Birds of Prey including the awesome Wedge-Tailed Eagle, Nankeen Kestrel, Collared Sparrowhawk, Peregrine Falcon, Black-Shouldered Kite and more. In the last few years I have had the enormous delight of raising Bare-Nosed Wombats. These short and stocky bundles of energy and bravado have become my ultimate passion in life! Our first wombat Tici - with very little effort - took over a large part of my heart and I have been hooked on wombats ever since. In 2004 I recognised that there was a gaping hole in my region in wildlife carer and public education relating to Australian wildlife and so I established Fauna First Aid. The programs début was to teach vet nurse students at Orange TAFE how to properly care for native animals in a veterinary care situation. The lectures have also been presented at Bathurst TAFE and I have been asked to teach at Dubbo, Mudgee and surrounding areas. In 2005 I extended the program to include school age students - highlighting the dangers involved in handling wild animals and to show what Mum & Dad could do to rescue a native animal and to provide short term care. A community program has also been included in the lecture series teaching rescue, proper handling technique and short term care. In June 2005 Fauna First Aid became a project sponsored by the Australian Geographic Society – a very humbling and proud moment. With such high profile backing I decided to take the plunge and move my wildlife seminars to the next level and so became a guide to the care of bare-nosed wombats. kim rolls… Kim Rolls is currently a veterinarian in general practice at Orange Veterinary Hospital. A graduate of Sydney University he has practiced in Sydney, Narromine & Egham in England. As well as general practice Kim spent a number of years running lamb and cattle feedlots, advising on nutrition and formulating rations for a feed mill and managing an Angus Stud. Kim’s interest in Australian wildlife stems from a childhood in country NSW and especially the years spent living beside the Pilliga Scrub at Baradine, helping in research for the books of his father, Eric Rolls.