The bare-nosed wombat: a review of biology and management in Victoria

The bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is a charismatic species, both loved for its chubby charm and loathed as a bulldozer of the bush. We review the biology and management of this species, with a particular focus on the Victorian population. The bare-nosed wombat is the largest burrowing herbivore in the world, with a diet consisting almost entirely of grass. Wombats have a robust body and are sexually monomorphic in size. In Victoria, wombats occur over a range of habitats and elevations, mostly in the east of the state. The sole statewide population survey estimated there to be a total of 432,595 wombats in 2020, with only 1000 in the far south-west. Wombats breed slowly, taking more than a year to raise a single young. Female offspring then leave the natal burrow, and our field data have shown that their dispersal movements can be as far as 14 km. Burrowing activity can have a serious impact on farm paddocks, fences and buildings, and grazing pressure can damage plantings and inhibit ecosystem recovery. As a result, wombats were declared ‘unprotected’ in much of eastern Victoria until 2020, but many are still culled under permit to alleviate these impacts. In addition, wombats are injured and killed by vehicles and are vulnerable to sarcoptic mange infections. Despite these and other pressures, the Victorian population appears to be secure.