For the First Time in 3,000 Years, Tasmanian Devils Return to Mainland Australia
Tasmanian devils are back in mainland Australia for the first time in 3,000 years. A reintroduction project recently released 11 devils at a 1,000-acre wildlife sanctuary in Barrington Tops National Park about 130 miles north of Sydney, reports Lisa Cox for the Guardian.
In March, the “rewilding” project released 15 devils in what they termed a “soft launch," reports Jason Bittel for National Geographic. The recent release brings the group of pioneering marsupial carnivores to 26 individuals in total. ...
First detected in 1996, wild devils in Tasmania have been beset by a deadly and contagious cancer that affects their faces and mouths. The aptly named, Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is the only known infectious cancer and has spread through the population through biting, fighting and mating, according to the Aussie Ark, one of the conservation groups leading the reintroduction. The population has since been reduced to just 25,000 individuals. Because of the threat of DFTD, the reintroduction project has taken great pains to ensure the devils released in Australia are free of the disease.
Bringing the species back to Australia is a bright spot in a year marred by the aftermath of fires that killed, injured or displaced an estimated 3 billion animals. Ecologically, there is hope that a revived population of Tasmanian devils could help restore balance to the Australian ecosystem, which has been ravaged by introduced species, like feral cats and foxes, endangering native wildlife, especially birds, reports Brian Kahn for Gizmodo. ...
“The presence of devils on the landscape seems to put the cats off a bit,” David Hamilton, a researcher at the University of Tasmania who studies devils and was not involved in the reintroduction project, tells National Geographic. Devils don’t typically eat cats, but cats seem to want to avoid a possible altercation with the scrappy marsupials and opt to hunt at dawn and dusk, ceding the night to the nocturnal devils. Per National Geographic, this time shift may allow native species, such as bandicoots, that emerge under the cover of darkness, a respite from the feline marauders.
But the full ramifications of the devils’ comeback remain unknown, and the project’s organizers will be keeping a close eye on the devils and their surrounding environment inside the fenced-in preserve via tracking collars and camera traps. ...
