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Wildlife Health in Tasmania - Disease Information

Wildlife Health in
Tasmania Manual

The importance of passive surveillance
What to look for
Reporting sick or dead wildlife
Download the Strategy for Managing Wildlife Disease in the TWWHA
Download the Wildlife Health in Tasmania Manual
Download contact numbers for reporting sick or injured wildlife
For further information

This Manual is for wildlife health managers specifically, and is also useful for the general public in identifying wildlife health issues and how to respond.

The importance of passive surveillance

Wildlife diseases of significance are increasing in number in Tasmania in recent times, and some have the potential to significantly impact biodiversity. Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) occurs across more than half of the state and is causing drastic declines in devil populations. Frog Chytridiomycosis (a fungal disease causing skin changes, sickness and death in frogs) has been identified in Tasmania in recent years and has potential to cause extinctions among frog species. Platypus Mucormycosis has been described in the north and east of Tasmania. The Department is half way through a Tasmania-wide Mucormycosis monitoring project and is learning much more about the disease. Disease incursions have at times been described in threatened species such as the Orange Bellied Parrot. Disease has the potential to have a disastrous impact on populations already threatened.

Effective reporting of wildlife health events from ‘front line’ individuals working with or observing wildlife is of critical importance. It forms the basis of an early warning system for new disease outbreaks and helps us monitor existing diseases as well.

What to look for

1. Any sign of sickness/infectious disease such as:

sudden or mass deaths
skin lesions if non-traumatic
vomiting or diarrhoea
lameness if non-traumatic
neurological changes (moving in circles, staggering, falling, convulsing etc)
ill thrift (looks sick, lethargic, reluctant too move etc)

2. Injured or orphaned wildlife

Reporting sick, injured or dead wildlife

Ring Wildlife Enquiries at DPIPWE on (03) 6233 6556 (24 hours)

Any suspicion of a notifiable disease e.g. avian influenza, ring the Emergency Disease Hotline 1800 675 888 (24 hours)

Any seal, dolphin or whale ashore, ring the Whale Hotline, DPIPWE 0427 WHALES (0427 942 537)

Strategy for Managing Wildlife Disease in the TWWHA
(PDF: 1.05 MB / 36 pages)

This is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Reader is easy to download and is free of charge.

Wildlife Health Manual
(PDF: 965 KB / 42 pages)

This is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Reader is easy to download and is free of charge.

Reporting Sick and Injured Wildlife
(PDF: 361 KB / 1 page)

This is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Reader is easy to download and is free of charge.

For further information

Contact: Wildlife Health Officer

Annie Philips
Wildlife Health Officer
134 Macquarie Street HOBART TAS 7000
Phone: 03 6233 2265
Fax: 03 6233 6655
Email: Annie.Philips@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Department switchboard: 1300 368 550 (local call cost)

Tasmania Online | Service Tasmania

This page - http://www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/LJEM-79T3DP?open - was last published on 18 September 2009 by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment. Questions concerning its content can be sent to NatureConservation Enquiries by using the feedback form, by mail to GPO Box 44, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001, or by telephone to 03 6233 6556.

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