How can you prevent the Tasmanian devil from being extinct?

Answer 1

Much is being done to prevent the extinction of the Tasmanian devil. The Australian Government now has initiatives and programs set up to preserve the species. 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.

Whilst there is no actual cure for the disease yet, 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.

Conservation parks and accredited animal sanctuaries in South Australia and Victoria, on the mainland, have reported great success with captive breeding programme which will ensure the continued existence of the Tasmanian devil. These animals show no signs of developing the disease.