Why has the Tasmanian devil lost its existence?

Answer 1

Presumably, this question is asking why the Tasmanian devil is extinct.

It isn't.

The Tasmanian devil has only recently been added to the endangered species list. The Tasmanian Devil is endangered for a number of reasons, and one of them is because the farmers believed that it ate large numbers of livestock and poultry, and used to hunt it. (This is also why the Thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger died out.)

Other reasons include that they are often hit by cars as they feed on other road-killed animals. Some of the 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. DFTD has killed more than 90% of adults in high density areas and 45% of adults in medium to low density areas. At present, no 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.

The recent introduction of foxes to Tasmania has also had an impact on Tasmanian devils. 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.