Jeremy Murray, Kanimbla Wombats (Animal & Nature 2021)

Ernie, Marky, Candy and Icicle are four very lucky wombats. Marky has been rehabilitated from a sever mange infection while the others have been rescued from their mother’s pouches after separate motor vehicle collisions. They are being reared for release into the wild by dedicated carers. One major threat to wombats is motor vehicle collision due to their nocturnal nature. This is increased if they contract mange as it can result in blindness and deafness for wombats. is a disease caused by the sarcoptes scabiei mite. The mite burrows into the skin of its host causing thick crusty skin and hair loss. It is so itchy and wombats can injure themselves trying to scratch because of their sharp claws.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.