2013 CFZ Tasmanian Tiger expedition snippets

Poisonous spiders, Tasmanian Devils, Thylacine sightings...the 2013 CFZ Tasmanian Tiger expedition had it all! Here are a few highlights...including some fascinating sightings.

UK survival expert Ray Mears chases devils and tigers

UK survival expert Ray Mears has turned his attention to Australia, filming two segments here on our saltwater crocodile and the iconic Tasmanian devil, the second of which will air in the coming week in Britain. He also looks into some reports of the continuing existence of the Tasmanian Tiger.

The description of the show follows:

About a third of the remote island of Tasmanina and its stunning coastline is classified as National Park, and is mired in tales of prehistoric tigers, monster crayfish and screaming dervishes. Incredibly, these myths are, to some extent, true.

The Tasmanian devil was named after explorers heard its ferocious screams, but it is now on the precipice of extinction. Often represented as a night time terror, the devil is in fact a gregarious marsupial unique to the island. But its survival is threatened by a cancer known as Devil Facial Tumour Disease, which has laid waste to the island’s population.

Ray meets the Anthony family who live in a wildlife sanctuary they built themselves. They are committed to safeguarding the future of the Tasmanian devil.

Owner, Wade says: “What we’re doing here is part of a larger programme, in an attempt to ensure the survival of the Tasmanian devil. In the wild we’ve lost around 80 per cent of the wild population through Devil Facial Tumour Disease. So whilst we’re trying to give people an accurate understanding of what these animals are, we’re also trying to build up the numbers in captivity. ”

Similar in appearance to a small bear, the devil is incredibly strong with immense jaw power.

Sadly extinction is not new to Tasmania’s unique wildlife. The island’s government and people were solely responsible for the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger just 77 years ago when groups of farmers fearing for their agriculture lobbied the government. As a result, the state paid £1 per head for every animal until they were no more.

Ray meets Kathryn Medlock, Senior Curator at the Tasmanian Museum to find out more about the Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, Australia’s largest carnivorous marsupial.

Kathryn says: “It was a remarkable animal, it really looks like a dog or a wolf but very definitely a marsupial. It had a pouch, gave birth to young and reared it’s young in the mother’s pouch, it could have up to four young at a time.”

Despite their official extinction, Ray meets local people who firmly believe the tiger is still out there due to claims of sightings.

Doug Westbrook, co-proprietor of the Tiger Bar of Mole Creek says: “My wife arrived home, burst in the door…she looked like a ghost and she said, ‘I’ve just seen a tiger’. She saw this dog-like animal walking across, like it had a broken back. Because it’s a marsupial it doesn’t walk like a dog it walks like a kangaroo.”

The government takes sightings seriously enough to employ a government officer. Nick Mooney has worked for the Tasmanian government for 35 years.

Nick says: “There’s a very interesting twist to this whole thing in that with this devil disease we have less devils than in many, many decades in Tasmania and devils would be a problem for Thylacines. It would be very hard for a very rare Thylacine to raise pups where devils were very common. So you have your major competitor  drastically reduced in numbers, more wallabies in Tasmania than probably ever in history, still quite a bit of habitat. We should have Thylacines pouring out our ears.”

Whilst the clock is ticking for the future of the devil, Devil Facial Tumour Disease is a fairly new disease.

Veterinary scientist Ruth Pye says: “1996 was when it was first photographed in North-East Tasmania and its spread has been quite rapid. It’s always been fatal, usually six months, perhaps a bit longer. It’s a transmissible tumour, which is the most unusual characteristic of the disease, being a cancer that’s contagious. So what we’re trying to do is develop a vaccine, the ultimate goal.”

Ray is on hand as Ruth treats a young female devil called Elsie.

Ray says: “Nobody needs to be told how vicious cancer is, but seeing young Elsie here, I can’t help but think this is an unnecessarily cruel way for a species to die.”

Ray also gets up close to some of the other unique creatures that can be found on the island, including the Monster Crayfish, whose numbers are in fast decline due to pollution in rivers. They grow up to a metre in length and are the world’s biggest freshwater invertebrates, the male’s claws are so strong they could break your arm.

Ray also visits Western Tasmania to go in search of one of nature’s most elusive and ancient animals, the Platypus.

Ray says: “It’s really exciting, I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed, because I’ve never seen a platypus in the wild and for any naturalist, this is the possibility of a dream come true.”

At Trowunna Wildlife sanctuary in Mole Creek there’s a ‘devil retirement’ home. Sanctuary owner Androo Kelly has been working with insurance populations and zoo programmes all around the world ever since the Devil Facial Tumour Disease came to light. There is a theory that almost 15,000 years ago the devil’s genetic makeup changed and that’s what made them susceptible to catching the disease. Scientists are therefore working in an attempt to recreate the devil’s DNA before it changed, to see if it is possible to create a new blood line that is resistant to the disease.

Ray ends his journey on the stunning northern tip of the island, on a night-time exploration with wildlife biologists hoping to see a devil in the wild for himself, before it’s too late.

The episode airs on ITV in the UK on Wednesday, 24 July from 9pm-10pm.

Go black and white for Tassie Devils on May 24

Go Black and White on May 24

Help raise funds for the Tasmanian Devil through Black & White Day!

We are calling on all schools, businesses and community organisations to get involved in Black & White Day - we hope you might be interested in helping the Tassie devils. Through the combined effort of schools & businesses around Australia Black & White Day raised over $20,000! All money raised supported key research and management programs aimed at keeping the Tassie devil alive in the wild.

This year the official date for Black & White Day is Friday 24 May 2013, however you can participate on any day throughout the year – whatever works for you, your students or colleagues.

Black & White Day was created by Nature Nic (Nicholas Bonnitcha) seven years ago. Through Nature Nic’s involvement Black & White Day has raised over $100,000. This is through the ongoing support of schools and businesses around Australia.

What you can do?
• Dress in black & white ... it’s easy – everyone has something black or white in their wardrobe (shoes, socks, shoelaces, ribbons, t-shirt ...)
• Have a morning tea
• Do a talent quest
• Guess how many jelly beans are in the jar
• Incorporate Black & White Day as part of Endangered Species awareness and include it in the learning programme.
Whatever you choose, encourage a gold coin donation.

How the Appeal can help:
• Posters
• Brochures with information about Tasmanian Devils
• Stickers
• Donation boxes
• Teacher’s Kit which has a range of educational material for all ages

If you’d like to register your interest or would like the organisers to send some of the information to your school please contact them on 03 6324 3527 or email Devil.Appeal@utas.edu.au

Tassie Devils halt mining in Tarkine - for now

An environmental group fighting to save Tasmanian devils has secured a temporary halt to construction at a proposed iron ore mine in the Tarkine.

An injunction was granted in the Federal Court on May 10, delaying work by Shree Minerals at the proposed Nelson Bay River mine.

Environmental group Save the Tarkine sought the temporary injunction, arguing that it was inappropriate to start work on the mine while the legality of the project was set to be challenged in court.

Read the story in The Mercury.

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."

Concert fundraiser for endangered devils

Tasmanians will be rocking for the Devils during April and May in a bid to raise funds to support research into the facial tumour disease decimating Tasmanian Devil populations.

Country and western band Vanessa and the Boys and hard rock band Buck Nasty will liven up Campbell Town on Saturday 27 April, when they perform at the local football ground.

A swinging blues extravaganza is also being organised for Scottsdale on Saturday 18 May, with all money raised from both events going to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal.

The two Tasmanian Devils Awareness Shows are part of a program run by NEWS Promotions for the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal and they will be working hard to create awareness about the Devil Facial Tumour Disease affecting the State's iconic native animal and at the same time raise much-needed research dollars, while giving regional towns a great night out.

At Campbell Town a barbecue and spit roast will be available before the concert.

“The Appeal is delighted that NEWS Promotions is organising these events in regional Tasmania as a chance for locals to have a great family evening out as well as support the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal,” said Appeal manager Rebecca Cuthill.

"This is a great way for rural areas to come together and support our iconic Tasmanian devil, be informed and have an enjoyable time with their neighbours.”

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal is an initiative of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program coordinated by the UTAS Foundation. Find out more information here.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Cuthill on 6324 3314.

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.

Tasmanian Devils on the lamb in WA

Three Tasmanian Devils have been enjoying the fruits of freedom in WA after escaping from Peel Zoo.

One of the devils has already been caught and returned to the Zoo.

The four-month-old male devils - Itchy, Scratchy and Genghis - escaped from Peel Zoo, on the outskirts of Pinjarra, south of Perth, after a tree smashed their enclosure on Tuesday.

Zoo owner David Cobbold said Scratchy was found at about 3am today but the other two hand-reared animals remained on the loose.

Mr Cobbold said two men chased Scratchy through the bush and trapped the animal against a fence before wrapping it in a towel.

They then secured it in their bathroom, but Scratchy clawed its way through part of the plasterboard wall.

Mr Cobbold thanked the men but said people should not try to handle the animals themselves.

"The capture proved devils aren't as dangerous as their reputation suggested,'' he said.

"The name is more about the noise than the behaviour.''

Mr Cobbold has urged members of the public who see the remaining two devils to call him on 0400 788 289.

A truckdriver reported seeing "little bears" crossing South West Highway near Pinjarra on Friday and paw prints were found around the town's golf course.

Mainland devils discovery in Portland - 1962

Over at the Nature Glenelg Trust they've published this fascinating snippet, something from the archives detailing the discovery of a skeleton of a mainland Tasmanian Devil.

Nice one guys, thanks for sharing!

Recovery plan for Tassie Devils 'still a draft'

The Tasmanian Times has raised a valid point about efforts to save the Tasmanian Devil.

In May 2006 the Tasmanian devil was listed as a vulnerable species under the Commonwealth EPBC Act. One would expect that such a globally recognised endangered species would have an approved Recovery Plan considering the generous funding available and the dedicated Save the Tasmanan Devil Program staff.

However, the plan is still in its draft format after more than 3 years!

Maria Island Tasmanian devil ark approved

A proposal to establish a healthy population of Tasmanian devils on Maria Island has been approved.

The Environment, Parks and Heritage Minister, Brian Wightman, said the Parks and Wildlife Service has completed a comprehensive assessment of the project. The Development Proposal and Environmental Management Plan have also been approved by the Tasmanian and Australian Government's Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

"For 18 months, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program has been monitoring wildlife in the Maria Island National Park," Mr Wightman said.

"Members have been carefully researching how to release and manage a population of devils. They've been considering potential impacts, and developing mitigating measures, if required.

"They've also completed formal assessments and applications under State and Commonwealth requirements.

"This project has been researched and analysed - and it stacks up. It'll now become a valuable part of our strategy to save the iconic and much-loved Tasmanian Devil from Devil Facial Tumour Disease," he said. The Parks and Wildlife Service has imposed conditions on the approval, to protect the island's natural and cultural heritage values.

"Despite all the work done so far, the program recognises the potential for some unforeseen impacts from introducing Tasmanian devils to Maria Island," Mr Wightman said. "That's why the introduction will be staged over time, with the devils and other species under constant monitoring.

"This project will be slowly and carefully introduced, to ensure it's done safely and effectively," he said.    

With Devil Facial Tumour Disease continuing to spread to new populations, Mr Wightman said establishing secure insurance populations is increasingly vital.

"This project helps add to a healthy population of Tasmanian devils, that can be used to re-build wild populations, if needed, in future," he said.

Mr Wightman said the proposal involves releasing up to 50 Tasmanian devils on Maria Island, in stages, over the next two years. The next stage is working with the Zoo and Aquaria Association to identify the most suitable animals for release.

For the initial release, about 10 animals will be chosen from the overall insurance population of more than 500, which meet genetic and behavioural criteria. That process will happen in coming months, with the initial release planned for later this year.

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!

Is Devil cancer a parasite?

Scientists say strong evidence is emerging that the catastrophic Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease should be regarded as a parasite.

The disease, which has wiped out 80 per cent of the devil population in the wild, has been treated as a transmissible cancer.

But immunologist Greg Woods from the Menzies Institute says it also shows many classic parasitical characteristics.

"It's a cancer and a parasite," he told AAP before delivering his findings to the Australian Society for Parasitology's conference in Launceston.

"It goes from host to host and using each host to survive, and it will damage its host and move on to the next host so it's behaving like what we classically regard as being a parasite."

Also like a bona fide parasite, it uses the host's natural behaviour to spread itself, in this case the devil's insatiable appetite for violence.

"You drink water so you pick up a parasite," Associate Professor Woods said.

"With the devil, the tumour gets on the teeth and devils bite each other."

There is other evidence too - the disease avoids the immune response of the devil by covering itself in its host's proteins.

The question remains, though, whether it can be considered a "perfect" parasite like malaria because it has not yet managed to survive in more than one species.

But it is its parasitic behaviour that makes the tumour disease fundamentally different from the form of cancer that humans contract, Prof Woods said.

"The question is: Are cancers parasites because they live off the host?" he said.

"The thing about the cancer that us humans get is that once the human dies or recovers the cancer dies as well, whereas this tumour goes from host to host."

The origin of the disease has been traced to a single cell in a single female devil in the 1990s but it is unknown how she contracted it.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/devils-disease-could-be-a-parasite/story-e6frea7l-1226415006284

Scientists are in a race against the clock to find a cure, with some estimates suggesting devils in the wild could be extinct in 25 years, and there have been few breakthroughs.

Dingoes and Devils the answer for Australia?

A new paper to be published in the May edition of Trends in Ecology and Evolution suggests dingoes and Tasmanian devils could control invasive species, such as cats and foxes, as well as overabundant herbivores.

"We need to be quite bold and allow predators back into the landscape and see if they can reverse some of the damage we've done," said Dr Euan Ritchie, ecologist at Deakin University in Melbourne and lead author of the paper.


The abstract of the paper reads:

"Recent advances highlight the potential for predators to restore ecosystems and confer resilience against globally threatening processes, including climate change and biological invasions. However, releasing the ecological benefits of predators entails significant challenges. Here, we discuss the economic, environmental and social considerations affecting predator-driven ecological restoration programmes, and suggest approaches for reducing the undesirable impacts of predators. Because the roles of predators are context dependent, we argue for increased emphasis on predator functionality in ecosystems and less on the identities and origins of species and genotypes. We emphasise that insufficient attention is currently given to the importance of variation in the social structures and behaviours of predators in influencing the dynamics of trophic interactions. Lastly, we outline experiments specifically designed to clarify the ecological roles of predators and their potential utility in ecosystem restoration."

Read more here.

Maria Island considered for 'insurance' Devil colony

Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service is considering a proposal to set-up a healthy population of Tasmanian Devils on Maria Island.

The PWS is seeking community comment on the translocation proposal, put forward by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

The Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage, Brian Wightman, said the proposal would initially release up to 50 devils into Maria Island National Park, to establish a wild, free-ranging, disease-free population.

“Our scientists are thinking creative and working extremely hard to help save this precious iconic species,” Mr Wightman said.

“The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program has identified Maria Island as a potential site because of its size, appropriate habitat, and a large suite of prey species for the Tasmanian devil.

“Other benefits include full-time Parks and Wildlife Service staff, and the fact that the only vehicles on the island are PWS ones – reducing the threat of road-kill,” he said.

The Maria Island National Park Plan of Management requires a comprehensive assessment before introducing a new animal to the island - to examine possible environmental, social and economic impacts, along with possible mitigation efforts.

A Development Proposal and Environmental Management Plan will be advertised on Saturday 24 March. It examines the possible impacts of introducing Tasmanian Devils to the Island, and provides an opportunity for community comment on the proposal.

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program has been carrying out extensive wildlife monitoring and impact assessments, as well as seeking required approvals under State and Commonwealth legislation.

As the land manager of Maria Island, the PWS also has requirements to follow as part of assessing these type of proposals.

“We make these decisions cautiously, and with extensive research, to ensure it’s the right decision for both the Tasmanian Devils and the environment of Maria Island,” Mr Wightman said.

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Manager, Andrew Sharman, said the assessment process being undertaken by the Parks and Wildlife Service is the next step in the assessment and approvals process.

“We have been undertaking wildlife monitoring on the island over the last 18 months to ensure we have the best information available for monitoring long-term impacts on the island’s species,” Mr Sharman said.

“An extensive planning process has been also undertaken which has provided scientific and wildlife expert input. The translocation proposal has also been assessed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and has been approved to proceed,” he said.

Mr Sharman said the proposal is another measure for securing the ongoing survival of the Tasmanian devil in the wild.

“Tasmanian devils are facing a major threat to their long term survival in the wild, with the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) resulting in a population decline of more than 80 per cent since the disease was first recorded in 1996,” Mr Sharman said.

“Despite major advances in knowledge about this disease, the only tool currently available to break the transmission cycle of the disease is to place healthy devils in situations where they will not encounter diseased individuals.

“The aim of translocating Tasmanian devils to Maria Island is to establish a wild, breeding, DFTD-free population to preserve important traits that may be required for future introductions of devils back to the Tasmanian mainland.

“Island translocations such as this one could provide an ecologically and economically sustainable solution to managing insurance populations,” he said.

The Development Proposal and Environmental Management Plan is available at the PWS website at www.parks.tas.gov.au.

Hard copies are available at Service Tasmania shops.

The public comment period closes on 27 April, 2012.

Jesus Christ and the (Tasmanian) Devil

Australian singer and actor Jon English, who is an ambassador for the Save the Tasmanian Devil program, is performing with the Tasmanian Encore Theatre Company in Jesus Christ Superstar 40 years after the show debuted.

All proceeds from the recent preview of the production in Launceston will go towards the Save the Tasmanian Devil fund. The show has raised about $10,000 so far.

English, who played Judas in the original 1972 production, is now performing the role of Pilate and said he was excited to be combining two of his passions, the stage and the Save the Tasmanian Devil program.

English's enthusiasm for his role as ambassador has been invaluable, Save the Devil program manager Andrew Sharman said.

"Not only has he raised significant funds already through his rock show and now Jesus Christ Superstar, his profile, energy and enthusiasm for the cause makes him a fantastic ambassador," Mr Sharman said.

"He genuinely cares about the devils too."

Awwww, what a guy - go Jon!

Love is in the air @ Devil's Ark

Following the first successful breeding season at Devil Ark last year, the next season is almost upon us.

The female Tasmanian devil is preparing her body for the mating season, which commences this month and sees the skin around her neck thicken and her pouch deepen to accommodate her joeys. The female breeds at age two years and can rear up to four joeys a year for an average of three years.

The female chooses the male and mating occurs over about a 7 day period. If she doesn’t get pregnant with her first ovulation, she’ll have two more cycles before the end of June. The species is not monogamous and she could have many partners if not guarded by the male.

The process is called “mate guarding” and sees the male sprawled across the entrance of the den in which the female resides to prevent other unwelcome male visits. Gestation is a short 21 days, and then around 30 tiny devils are born. The mother has only four teats, so only the first to arrive and fuse themselves to her survive. They will feed from their mother for six months and venture outside of the den in Spring.

The juvenile devils will become fully independent by December. Last year’s Devil Ark babies are now in the crèche at Devil Ark and will be moved into free range enclosure when they reach breeding age next year.

Devil Ark’s first breeding season last year resulted in 26 baby devils. This is the highest number of joeys born in captivity.

Devil Ark is the largest breeding facility for the endangered Tasmanian devil and is now home to almost 100 devils in large free range enclosures that mimic the natural landscape of their native Tasmania. With the insidious DFTD (Devil Facial Tumour Disease) now in the Tasmania’s North West, the devil’s last stronghold, extinction in the wild seems inevitable.

Zoos the urban arks of the future

Melbourne's zoos will become urban arks, breeding sanctuaries for 20 of the most at-risk species in the state, as scientists struggle to save them from extinction, according to The Age.

Flagging a strategic shift to become a ''zoo-based conservation organisation'', Zoos Victoria - which includes Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Open Range Zoo - has released a ''priority'' list of species it believes are in urgent need of help.

The list includes 11 species that are already the subject of the zoos' conservation efforts, including the Tasmanian devil, mountain pygmy possum and orange-bellied parrot. Nine additional vulnerable species, including the Baw Baw frog, Leadbeater's possum, the alpine she-oak skink and the Guthega skink, are set to be brought into captive breeding programs in the coming months.