Why Tasmania stopped hunting and trapping all the Tasmanian devils?

Answer 1

The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) was hunted almost to extinction due to its threat to livestock such as sheep and poultry. They were protected by law before it was too late in June 1941 from where their numbers recovered sufficiently for them to be classified as "secure".

Answer 2

The Tasmanian devil is not becoming extinct, but it is endangered. Like many Australian native animals, one of the main threats to the Tasmanian devil is habitat loss.

Since 1996, the greatest threat to the Tasmanian devil has become the Devil facial Tumour Disease, a contagious cancer which proves fatal to the animal.

Another problem is that Tasmanian devils often feed on roadkill, and unfortunately, many of them can be killed by cars while feeding, particularly from dusk through to the early morning hours.

Answer 3

Tasmanian devils are not "nearly extinct". It is only since 2008 that they have been classified as "endangered".

The Tasmanian Devil used to cover all of Australia but now it is limited to Tasmania. The arrival of the Dingo may have caused their extinction on the mainland, probably because they would have competed for the same food.

Threats to the Tasmanian devil include that they are often hit by cars as they feed on other road-killed animals. 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. 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. 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.

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.

However, 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. While the Tasmanian devil may eventually become extinct in the wild, it is highly improbable that the species will be wiped out completely.

Answer 4

Tasmanian devils are not hunted. They are protected by government legislation. Prior to state and national protection laws, they were hunted because they were feared as a threat to livestock, in much the same way that the Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) was feared. However, this is no longer the case.

Answer 5

Tasmanian devils became protected by law in June 1941. After this, it became illegal to hunt or trap Tasmanian devils.

Answer 6

Tasmanian Devils are not extinct (unlike the Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger).

However, the Tasmanian Devil has only recently been classified as "endangered".