The control of arthropod-caused wildlife disease remains a major frontier for the welfare and conservation of wildlife, but effective and sustainable disease management programs remain few. Emblematic of this is sarcoptic mange disease, caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite. This parasite occurs worldwide, has been documented to infect >150 species across 12 mammalian orders, is a significant animal welfare and conservation issue, and is among the 30 most prevalent diseases of humans (scabies). In Australia this mite was evidently introduced by European settlers and causes individual welfare issues to wombats, periodic epizootics and population declines. Many people (scientists and non-scientists) are engaged in attempts to manage this disease in wombats, but there are significant hurdles to success. While there remains much to be learned about mange in wombats, a growing body of evidence suggests feasible disease control is achievable. I will summarize the efforts of my research group to uncover the impacts and epidemiology of mange disease in wombats, and our efforts to establish feasible in situ disease control. Our research spans within and between individual effects to population-scales, invasion history, modelling, and applied management.
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