Tasmanian Devils
Today I saw a National Geographic video on YouTube about the Tasmanian Devil (via Grist). It was good to be reminded of one of our unique animals that’s currently close to extinction. The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service has some more sound clips and videos for you to watch, as does the DPIW site aimed at children and schools. Even though Devils are cranky little buggers, I still think they’re cute 
Tassie Devils are a carnivorous marsupial not found anywhere outside of Australia, or even on the mainland. Well, at least until we sent some to Princess Mary in Denmark as a baby shower present (what’s wrong with a nice bunch of flowers, anyway?). They were nearly hunted to extinction by the first European settlers, but in the 1940s were officially protected. They play an important (and yucky) part in their ecosystem by eating dead animals, which prevents the spread of disease and insects. Without them, feral cats and imported foxes move into the area and prey on over 70 species of native birds and smaller mammals, as they’ve already done on the mainland.
Their numbers in the wild were increasing after they were protected, but now they face a new threat: Devil Facial Tumour Disease, which is one of only 3 types of cancer that can be caught as a disease. Scientists researching the cancer have found that the Devils are suffering particularly badly because they have very little genetic diversity. Having been hunted to such low numbers in the wild, and then losing habitat to farming and logging, leaves them in very small and in-bred groups that have lower resistance to disease. This is something that could happen to any animal or plant that’s pushed to small, isolated areas. Researchers are trying to breed healthy Devils in captivity, with the aim of releasing them back into the wild to increase the variety in the population.
If you want to help the Tassie Devils, check in with TassieDevil.com.au and make a donation for use in developing tests and vaccines. If you’re in Tasmania, you might be able to volunteer some time to help with monitoring local populations and breeding programs. The website also lists zoos and national parks where you can see one for yourself - Perth Zoo apparently has some, I’ll have to visit for a look.
Tags: biodiversity