WomBot Explores Depths of Wombat Burrows

Wombat expert Scott Carver is deploying an interesting piece of equipment today: the WomBot.

The robot can navigate the complex and mysterious maze of wombat burrows.

It can take on difficult terrain, giving researchers an insight into the underground habitat.

"Wombat burrows are just such a fascinating environment and it's really this sort of hidden underground world that we understand so little about," says Carver.

It's been tested in the wombat burrows at the Musselroe wind farm in Tasmania's far northeast.

The remote-controlled robot has sensors that record temperature and humidity.

"The burrows are a lot more complex than what we necessarily expected and we've found wombats sleeping in chambers where they've got bedding material and sometimes just in tunnels as well," says Carver.

The robot is one of the more recent tools researchers are using to help reduce sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies.

Wombats share burrows with mites that burrow into the wombats' skin, causing the transmission of the deadly disease.

Getting to know the habitat of wombats could be the key to managing the spread of mange and preliminary findings have already revealed some answers.

"What it has been able to do is get us some really crucial data that we were missing previously which is understanding more how the mites survive down the burrows," says veterinarian Victoria Wilkinson.

The research has found mites in burrows live longer in winter than they do in summer.

"Potentially during summer if you can treat lots of wombats then you may have a better chance of reducing the mite population down these burrows," says Carver.

Researchers are also pushing ahead with field trials looking for a possible solution; a flea treatment for dogs and cats is now being used on wombats.

But before researchers apply it, they have to catch a wombat, and when they hit speeds of 40 kilometres an hour it's not easy.

"The advantages of this treatment over previously used treatments is that we think we only need to use one dose to cure the animal of mange, where as previously you needed to treat them every week for a period of eight to 12 weeks," says Wilkinson.

If successful the treatment will be rolled out in other parts of Tasmania.

The WomBot could have played a crucial role in saving its living, breathing counterparts.

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