The Wildlife Center of Virginia announced the results of a major study that the organization had participated in for the past decade, treating mange in Black Bears.
The Wildlife Center issued the following statement and results in a social media post:
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Between 2016 and 2023, our Center collaborated with staff from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study to evaluate the effectiveness of medications used to treat sarcoptic mange in Black Bears. A total of 14 mange-afflicted bears were treated at the Center during that time - and prior to release, staff confirmed that each one had successfully cleared the mites with treatment. Four of the bears were collared with GPS tracking units so they could be monitored after release.
Unfortunately, while the medication successfully eliminated the mites during treatment, three of the bears experienced a recurrence of mange after being released. All three developed such significant mange within 22 months that they had to be humanely euthanized. The fourth died due to unknown circumstances - it had no obvious signs of mange, but mange could not be ruled out.
Though this is a small sample size and further study is needed, the results suggest that Black Bears are vulnerable to reinfestation if released into enviornments with mange present and do not develop lasting immunity following treatment. The full study was recently published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, and you can read it here:
https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/.../jwmg.70241
While the results are disappointing, it is important data and with continued partnerships and research, we hope that an effective, long-term treatment option can be found.
Wildlife Center of Virginia