Saving the Devil
This Devil Does Good
Tasmanian Devils once thrived in mainland Australia, before traders introduced dingoes, which decimated their numbers.
Since then, on the island of Tasmania, the surviving population has teetered on the brink of extinction due to disease 😔.
Now activists are saving the species by reintroducing captive-bred Tasmanian Devils to a wildlife sanctuary on the mainland 🏞️.
The project is part of an effort to rewild Australia by the nonprofit “Aussie Ark” 🐾.
After a decade of raising disease-free Tasmanian devils in captivity, they began releasing healthy breeding pairs in 2020, marking the first time the animals have graced the continent in 3,000 years.
Researchers monitor the animals through frequent surveys, radio collars with transmitters 📡, and camera traps.
Tasmanian Devils are an important native apex predator and are not dangerous to humans.
Named for their haunting screams, they feed off carrion, as well as insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and other mammals, and they kill predators that feed on native species.
So far, the reintroduced population is thriving and even breeding — a major milestone for the project 🎉.
“Aussie Ark” plans to release more Tasmanian Devils into the sanctuary, and one day, into the unfenced bush beyond, where the animals can once again bring balance to the native ecosystem of the Land Down Under
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