Scabies can kill animals like the beloved wombat. What’s the best way to diagnose it?

Constant scratching, hair loss, and crusted skin are telltale signs of scabies in wildlife, a disease that's now infesting roughly seventy percent of Australia's bare-nosed wombat population, according to The Conversation. Researchers reviewing thirty years of diagnostic studies found visual spotting through binoculars or camera traps is the most common field method, but it often misses early-stage infections that skin scrapings can catch. The Conversation reports the disease, caused by burrowing mites, also threatens koalas, Tasmanian devils, and endangered species abroad like mountain gorillas and cheetahs. The study's authors recommend combining both approaches — broad non-invasive surveys paired with targeted invasive testing — to catch outbreaks before they spread further through already vulnerable populations.

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