How can you help save Tasmanan devils from their enemies?

Answer 1

All tough its is illegal to harm the Tasmanian devil heaps are killed on the road each year, but the main problem is their tumours. They can get these tumours on their faces which can harm them and also kill them.

Answer 2

The main enemy of the Tasmanian devil is Man, and there are a number of ways in which people can work (or are working) to limit the impact of man on this unique marsupial.

Scientists are breeding Tasmanian Devils in captivity to limit the spread of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). This disease is a great threat to Tasmanian devils living in the wild, affecting some two-thirds of the population.

Tasmanian devils are being housed in captive breeding programmes, which should prevent the extinction of the marsupial, but not necessarily in the wild. In January 2010, a team of international scientists pinpointed the genetic marker that predisposes Tasmanian devils towards this fatal disease. With this knowledge, there is now a better chance of a cure, which would also stop the disease decimating the wild Tasmanian devil population.

Everyday people can also help. Drivers can be extra careful when driving between dusk and dawn in bush and rural areas, as Tasmanian devils often feed on roadkill beside the road - thereby becoming roadkill themselves.

Answer 3

The Tasmanian Devil has only recently been classified as "endangered". Up until 2008, this marsupial was listed as "vulnerable" - that has now changed.

The Tasmanian Devil is endangered for a number of reasons. They are commonly hit by cars as they feed on other road-killed animals. In order to help preserve the species, some Tasmanian devils have been placed in protective captivity so humans and/or other animals cannot kill or hurt them.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease is rife at present and is another reason for keeping them in captivity. DFTD causes facial lesions which increase in size until the Tasmanian devil can no longer eat, and becomes susceptible to infections. At present, no new Tasmanian Devils are being taken into captivity with existing captive animals in the hope that the current captive ones will be kept safe from the spread of this disease. The disease spreads through biting - and this is very common in Devils as they are natural fighters, battling tooth and claw for every morsel of food. Only the western third of Tasmania is currently free of the disease. 60% of the state is affected.

Currently there is no cure for the disease, and scientists estimate that unless the disease can be stopped in some way, Tasmanian Devils will be extinct within two decades. The Devils seem to be particularly vulnerable to this because of their genetic makeup: they have particularly low levels of genetic diversity and a chromosomal mutation which is unique among carnivorous mammals. It is hoped that, by studying this genetic makeup, scientists will be able to develop a vaccine and/or cure.

In January 2010, scientists isolated the genetic marker for the disease, and this is a big step towards finding a cure. Also, scientists have recently reported promising results in cancer cures from a drug manufactured frfom a certain type of brushwood in the North Queensland tropical rainforests. This has worked successfully in trials on cancerous tumours in cats, dogs and horses, and as well as being hoped to be a potential cure in human cancers, it is also hoped to be able to be used against DFTD. The best help people can give in this case is to donate to the scientific research aimed at curing this disease.

As the Devil numbers decrease, fox numbers are increasing. These introduced animals hunt and eat young Devils, and if the Devil numbers drop too low then there is little hope that the population will ever recover - those remaining will be destroyed by the foxes.