Denmark gets behind Tasmanian Devil preservation

Denmark's Copenhagen Zoo hopes to become a centre of excellence in Tasmanian devil handling.

The zoo celebrated the first successful breeding of the endangered animals outside Australia last year when two female devils gave birth to a total of seven joeys.

Now the zoo is planning to open a dedicated devil handling school, where staff from other European zoos can receive the training that will be necessary to take part in Tasmania's overseas Ambassador Devils initiative.

Copenhagen zoo curator Flemming Neilsen, who received his training at Tasmania's Trowunna Wildlife Park, has become the first so-called devils' advocate outside Australia, which also supplied the zoo's devils.

Read more at: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/denmarks-copenhagen-zoo-plans-to-lead-way-in-tasmanian-devil-care/story-fnjj6013-1226795010612

Tassie devils breeding on Maria Island

Tasmanian devils are busily breeding on Maria Island in a special colony free of the facial tumour disease decimating the species.

Fifteen healthy devils were released on Maria Island, off Tasmania's east coast, five months ago and that population is set to double with the group already breeding.

Pouch young have been found in five females trapped as part of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program's monitoring of the population.

Fifteen baby devils, now resembling finger-nail sized pink blobs, are expected to also be running around the island by September.

"To see them breeding now is a really big boost to our morale," wildlife biologist Phil Wise told reporters. "They've established well, they appear to be slotting into a normal devil life."

2013 a critical year for Tasmanian Devil

Kudos to the Hobart Mercury, which has written a stirring editorial about the fate of the Tasmanian Devil, earmarking 2013 as a critical year for the survival of the species.

"Imagine the first time a British settler heard the throaty growls and blistering howls of a pack of hungry Tasmanian devils devouring a carcase in the darkness of a forest at night.

"It must have been terrifying. There are few sounds so other-worldly as a devil's banshee wail.

"During the day, the British convicts, soldiers and settlers would have seen very little of the nocturnal marsupial carnivores but when dusk fell the husky yap, yap yap of a thylacine on the hunt for prey would have filled the night air along with devilish screams and the inimitable and bizarre coughing and barking of possums..."

Read this most excellent piece in full here.

Shrinking Devil gene pool not settlers' fault

European settlers were not responsible for thinning the gene pool of the Tasmanian devil, new research discussed over at The Conversation has found.

Tasmanian devils are currently under threat due to the spread of an aggressive facial tumour, one of only three recorded types of contagious cancer. The disease spreads so readily because genetic diversity in devils' immune systems is low. It is passed from devil to devil through biting.

It had previously been assumed that this lack of diversity was due to population decline that occurred as a result of European settlement.

'Princess Mary' adds her rare Devil genes to the pool

This two-year-old Tasmanian devil, nicknamed Princess Mary by keepers, arrived recently at the Devil Ark - a breeding site established in the NSW Barrington Tops in 2010 to protect the species from extinction.

Supervisor Adrian Good said Princess Mary was important because she was genetically diverse to the 120 devils already thriving at the site.

Read more at the Herald Sun.

Devil-proof fence for Tasmania?

Van Diemen's Land Company is looking to build a devil-proof fence around its massive Woolnorth property to protect one of the last pockets of healthy Tasmanian devils in the state, according to the Tasmanian newspaper The Hobart Mercury.

The company is in the process of converting beef pasture, clearing bush and increasing its dairy herd as part of a $180 million expansion.

Conservationists have raised concerns that endangered devils would be put at further risk as native vegetation was cleared to make more room for dairy pasture. Woolnorth, on the state's North-West Coast, is home about 600 devils.

The Tasmanian Conservation Trust has criticised the company for electing to clear almost 2000ha of bush in line with its expansion plans, saying loss of habitat will cause devil and quoll numbers to drop.

But VDL chief executive Michael Guerin said Woolnorth boasted some of the biggest and healthiest devils in Tasmania and he was confident they could continue to co-exist with farming.

Our new top five - and Devils still rule!

It's always interesting to see what rates as our most popular posts over time.

Interestingly, the only story to make the top five again more than a year later is the Tassie Devil Road Kill Project! A novel project launched by the Tasmanian State Government to reduce the number of Devils being killed on roads.

Here's the latest round-up (for an earlier round-up in May 2011, go here):

Thousands of fish die at Sydney airport
Jan 10, 2011 - 8769

Scientists save Tasmanian Devil eggs, sperm
Dec 5, 2011 - 8527

Tassie Devil Road Kill Project
Nov 8, 2010 - 6021

Taxonomy fails - the infamous 'Cat Found' poster
Feb 17, 2011 - 5669

Hunt on for NZ's mystery moose
Apr 12, 2011 - 4403

'Mad Max' to abseil Pelverata Falls for devils

Tasmania‟s Max Moller is like a local combination of legendary animal lover Steve Irwin, action man Bear Grylls and wildlife photographer Steve Parish.

So those who know him are not fazed when he says he's going to launch himself off the top of the State's tallest waterfall to raise money for the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal and capture every moment on camera.

Pelverata Falls in the Snug Tiers is virtually in the backyard of his Margate home and on Saturday 13 October, Max will abseil 114m to the bottom carrying a Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal banner that the whole world will see.

Cameras on Max's head, arm and positioned above and below the falls will record every move and live footage and comments on the plight of the State's iconic animal, which is battling Devil Facial Tumour Disease, will stream live over the internet.

Amazing images of the waterfall circulating widely could also be a bonus for local tourism.
The wildlife filmmaker and adventurer is a former special forces army officer who 15 years ago swapped weapons for a camera and moved to Tasmania.

Max spends his days hiking, rafting and climbing to remote areas collecting footage of endangered animals and interesting natural areas, with his work having appeared in National Geographic magazine and a David Attenborough documentary.

More recently he's been filming for British movie producer, actor and extreme fisherman Robson Green.

Max said that he is passionate about helping raise awareness of the plight of the Tasmania Devils.

“They run around my house and I dread thinking about a day when I could no longer hear their crazy growls of a night time,” he said.

“I'm calling on local businesses and individuals to sponsor me $100 per metre of the abseil and every cent will go directly to the appeal.”

Supporters are being asked to go to the appeal's official website www.tassiedevil.com.au, click on the Save The Tasmanian Devil Program Appeal icon at the top of the page and fill out the donation form choosing Max Moller Abseil in the 'inspiration' field.

Administered by the University of Tasmanian Foundation, The Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal is the official fundraising entity for the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, directing funds to Australia's national response to DFTD.

Hidden camera footage proves healthy Tarkine Devils exist

The above, just released hidden camera footage provides new evidence that the area of the Tarkine Wilderness in Tasmania that Venture Minerals is trying to strip mine is home to a large population of healthy but vulnerable Tasmanian devils.

Conservationists from Code Green captured the footage.

Scientists tell us that the new roads and traffic created by strip mining the ancient Tarkine rainforest will increase the spread of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease - a deadly virus-like cancer that is already driving the Tasmanian devil population towards extinction.

What the devils need is Emergency Heritage Listing for the region they inhabit. This kind of listing would ensure the greatest amount of independent scientific scrunity possible is given to the proposed mines in the Tarkine. That's why we all need to take this opportunity to urge our local MPs to call on Tony Burke to take immediate action to protect the last healthy Tasmanian devils:

www.getup.org.au/devils 

As leading wildlife expert and former chief scientist in the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Professor Hamish McCallum has said:

"There is sufficient evidence to suggest that it may threaten the survival of populations of Tasmanian devils in the area1."

Locals have been campaigning vigorously against Venture Minerals proposals to build three open cut and strip mines in the Tarkine, but now they need your support.

Our elected members right across the country have a responsibility to stand up for the things we care about. In non-election times the only way we can make sure they know what we want them to act on is to let them know directly, by telling them.

Send your MP a quick message asking them to lobby Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to urgently enact the Emergency Heritage Listing for the Tarkine!

More devils join mainland Ark project

Another 50 Tasmanian devils were released at the Devil Ark sanctuary in the Barrington Tops, in NSW last week in preparation for the breeding season.

Ten of the devils were brought from Tasmania, and will help to boost the genetic stock at the park.

The devils have been configured into breeding groups of between six and eight for the breeding season, which starts in February.

About 90 devils now live at the Devil Ark project.

Thylacine exhibition the jewel in new museum's crown

Artefacts from the days when Thylacines still called Tasmania home form the centre piece of a revamped museum in Swansea, Tasmania.

Labor member for Lyons, Rebecca White MP, tonight praised the Glamorgan Spring Bay community for their work at the official opening of the revamped East Coast Heritage Museum and Visitor Centre in Swansea.

“To have this significant heritage building redeveloped to provide the community with this resource is a wonderful achievement,” Ms White said.

“The East Coast Heritage Museum is the custodian of an important and significant collection representing the history of Swansea and the Glamorgan area.

“It was first used as a museum as early as 1923, when it was known as the War Memorial Museum, and today the collection continues to include a compelling display incorporating all of Australia’s military conflicts.”

Ms White said the museum’s displays had also been enhanced by items loaned from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.

“The museum’s Thylacine exhibition includes a Thylacine jawbone pincushion, c.1900, from TMAG’s collection and a cast of a Thylacine skull kindly loaned by QVMAG,” Ms White said.

“Highlights of the museum’s collection on display include a beautifully crafted 18th century dress from the Louisa Meredith collection, and a vicious Tasmanian Tiger trap as used on the local property The Bend.”

Ms White said the redevelopment had been made possible with funding from the Tasmanian Community Fund, Arts Tasmania, Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, and guidance and advice from Heritage Tasmania, Arts Tasmania’s Small Museums and Collections Program and a range of organisations and individuals.

The East Coast Heritage Museum and Visitor Centre is open to the public seven days a week from this week.

Culling not the answer in fight to save devil

The Tasmanian Devil is a unique animal, claiming the title of the world's largest surviving marsupial carnivore after the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger. Its survival is being threatened by an equally unique disease - Devil facial tumour disease, or DFTD, is one of only two or three infectious cancers in the world.

DFTD looks likely to cause the extinction of the Tasmanian devil without human intervention. The devil could become extinct on the Tasmanian mainland in as little as 25 years - a terrifying prospect when it is considered that the disease was first confirmed in 1997, only 14 years ago.

Science magazine Cosmos argues selective culling of sick devils is not the answer to saving the feisty marsupial. Read the entire article here.

Drivers urged to slow down, save a devil

Tasmanian drivers are being urged to reduce speed between dusk and dawn to reduce the number of Tasmanian devils killed on the State’s roads.

The Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage, Brian Wightman, said the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is stepping-up its campaign to ease pressure on the already endangered species.

“The Tasmanian Devil is much-loved and iconic to our community,” Mr Wightman said.

“As well as supporting the scientific fight against Facial Tumour Disease, we all need to work together as a community to help this precious species survive.

“We’re asking drivers to slow down at night to avoid hitting wildlife, as well as reporting any sightings of road-killed Tasmanian devils.

“I would urge everyone to keep a roadkill report form in the glovebox of their car, as a reminder of the devil’s vulnerability.

“Reporting sightings helps us track the extent and geographic patterns of roadkill across Tasmania.

“It also helps us monitor the spread of Devil Facial Tumour Disease,” he said.

Mr Wightman said the “slow down” warning to motorists is very timely because devils are on the move from November to March.

“Around this time of year, juvenile devils start to leave home to find a den of their own, so the mobile population swells considerably,” he said.

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Manager, Andrew Sharman, said safety was a priority, and road-killed devils should not be touched.

“Help from the community is greatly appreciated, and road safety measures should be observed when they stop to investigate a roadkill event,” Mr Sharman said.

“Photos taken with a mobile phone are very useful, but on no account should the devils be handled,” he said.

Mr Sharman said 370 reports from across the State were received in 2010-11 via reply paid forms, the www.tassiedevil.com.au website, and telephone and sms messages.

Roadkill report forms are available from outlets around Tasmania, including Service Tasmania and visitor information centres. A list of outlets and more information is available at www.tassiedevil.com.au.

Devil's Advocates take top prize

A group of Australian scientists known as the Devils' Advocates have taken out a prestigious Eureka prize for their work to prevent the extinction of the Tasmanian devil.

University of Tasmania zoologist Menna Jones, Menzies Research Institute associate professor Greg Woods and Anne Maree Pearse from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program were part of a team of five awarded the $10,000 Sherman Eureka Prize for environmental research.

Dr Jones said the most important part of the award was highlighting the plight of the devils and the work needed to save them from potential extinction.

She said the team had earmarked the prizemoney to be put directly back into the research.

Professor Hamish McCallum of Griffith University and associate professor Kathy Belov from the University of Sydney also were part of the devil research team.

Gene map may pull Devil back from brink

Efforts to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction have been given a boost by the publication of the entire genetic sequence of two devils, the ABC reports.

Tasmanian devils are small carnivorous marsupials, native to Tasmania. The remaining population is in dramatic decline due to a highly contagious cancer called devil facial tumour disease (DFTD).

Thirty scientists from Australia, Denmark and the USA collaborated on the study, which is published in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Former Australian researcher Professor Vanessa Hayes of the J Craig Venter Institute in San Diego - and one of the study's three lead authors - says DFTD was first spotted in 1996.

Cedric and Spirit's genome sequence joins that of Salem, a female devil whose sequence was completed last year by researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, England.

Ark 'last chance' for Tasmanian Devils

In what could be the last chance for Australia's beleaguered Tasmanian Devil population, work has begun on a mainland 'ark' to house hundreds of the species as insurance against extinction.

Construction work is underway in the Hunter Valley, NSW, on the 'Devil Ark', as the conservation refuge is known, in the Barrington Tops, north-east of Scone, on land donated by the wealthy Packer family.

It is an ambitious project to arrest the rapid decline of the Tasmanian Devil from the highly contagious Devil Facial Tumour Disease.

The first 50 of an expected breeding population of 360 are expected to arrive at the refuge early next month.

Tassie Devil Road Kill Project

A project to improve reporting of Tasmanian devil roadkill incidents is being extended to involve trained community volunteers.

The Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage, David O’Byrne said the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Roadkill Project was "about harnessing the passion of our community to help establish the impact of roadkill on the devil population."

“Our community volunteers are from local volunteer organisations, government agencies and businesses and regularly travel Tasmania’s roads," he said.

“They will complement the reporting work already being done by the general public and specially trained Parks and Wildlife Service volunteers who became involved in the project when it started last year.”

Mr O’Byrne said the first year of the Roadkill Project proved that the Tasmanian community has a real willingness to get involved in saving the devil.

“More than 400 reports from across the State were received via reply paid forms, the www.tassiedevil.com.au website and telephone and sms messages.

“Sadly, Tasmanian devils are one of the hardest animals to see on the road at night.

“The good news is that in working to save the Tasmanian devil we are helping to protect other native animals from roadkill and the data collected informs ongoing management strategies of wild devil populations.”

The two messages of the Roadkill Project are:

• Slow down on the roads between dusk and dawn; and
• Report any Tasmanian devil roadkill that you see.

Mr O’Byrne encouraged road users to keep a supply of forms in their car so that when they see a roadkill devil they can complete a form and drop it into the nearest mail box.

Forms are available from outlets around Tasmania, including Service Tasmania and visitor information centres. A list of outlets is available at www.tassiedevil.com.au

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program provides training and resources for volunteers. It is also working with roadkilltas.com to raise awareness of the impact of roadkill on wildlife and its cost to Tasmanians.

Find out more: www.tassiedevil.com.au

Tasmanian Devils set for extinction?

A TASMANIAN devil expert fears the species will become extinct in the wild despite multi-million-dollar efforts to save it from disease.

Save the Tasmanian Devil program senior keeper Jocelyn Hockley says work to establish a captive insurance population will stop the species suffering the same fate as the Tasmanian tiger.

"An amazing amount of work has been done, but I am not sure if there is any more that can be done," Dr Hockley said as Tasmania marked Threatened Species Day.

"The devil facial tumour disease is moving and changing and the species' survival depends on how the disease evolves as it moves west."

Five Tasmanian scientists are lobbying the State and Federal Governments to protect more forest from logging to give the state's remaining healthy Tasmanian devils a fighting chance to survive.

http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/09/08/171505_tasmania-news.html