unexplained

Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett has announced that his government has officially upgraded the status of the iconic Tasmanian devil from “vulnerable” to “endangered.”

Photo: Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease. Credit: Menna Jones

Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced his government has officially upgraded the status of the iconic Tasmanian devil from “vulnerable” to “endangered.” The upgrading will give the species a higher level of protection under natural environmental law. The Tasmanian devil has suffered from a mystery facial tumor which has swept through the population since its identification 13 years ago.

Garrett explained, “My decision to up-list the Tasmanian devil is based on advice from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee which lists the Devil Facial Tumour Disease as the major threat to the devil. This disease has led to the decline of about 70 per cent of the Tasmanian devil population since the disease was first reported in 1996. Fortunately, strong action is being taken to find out more about this disease and to stop its spread. My department will also continue to play an active role as part of the steering committee which implements the Save the Tasmanian Devil program.”

Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease program senior scientist Professor Hamish McCallum welcomed the move and said the announcement would help to raise awareness of the problem in the general community. “The numbers have declined by at least 60 per cent statewide in the past 10 years and there’s a projected further decrease as significant, if not worse. The announcement doesn’t materially change what the program has been doing, but it emphasizes the importance of continuing the program and continuing to provide resources to the program.”

Video:
Jason Wiersma explains what happens at a Tasmanian Devil Research Site. Trapping Devils to examine them for the Devil Facial Tumor Disease.