CAPTURE AND RESTRAINT
Trap design and deployment strategy refinements for the capture of northern hairy-nosed wombats have led to improvements in trap success (Molyneux et al. 2022). Contemporary designs are made from light weight weld mesh with powder coating and work best when placed at water stations or, if alternative entrances are blocked off, at burrows.
Handling can be a significant stressor for wombats and like many wild animals, the behavioural signs of stress can be subtle or non-existent. With increased exposure to handling procedures, parent-raised southern hairy-nosed wombats displayed diminished behavioural responses to their handlers, but this was shown to be from learned helplessness rather than from habituation and stress reduction (Hogan et al. 2011). For wombats in managed care this needs to be considered when planning regular routines and examinations. Classical conditioning has been used successfully to facilitate examination and weighing without the need for physical restraint (Palmer 2017). Similarly, a three-stage conditioning program has been used to facilitate non-invasive urine collection in managed female wombats. This involved initial habituation and observation of urination patterns, classical association of a tactile stimulus with urination and finally urine collection in response to the stimulus (Swinbourne et al. 2015). For more invasive clinical procedures, sedation or anaesthesia is usually required (see Chapter 9).When free-ranging southern hairy-nosed wombats were captured and held overnight, a significant reduction in antioxidant capacity was observed (Debrincat et al. 2014). The authors noted that the animals became stressed while being held within sacks and suggested antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E could be administered after capture to help overcome this adverse physiological process.
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