Good news for the Tasmanian Devils.

A while back I told you about the plight of the Tasmanian Devil. A horrible cancer turning these adorable creatures (at least as babies-not so "adorable" when older as they live up to their names! LOL)..... Pictures from ZooBorns and the Taronga Zoo

....into these suffering and dying animals! It's horrific and it's wiping out the population.

Well luckily it appears things are starting to look up for them. Taken from the NWRA newsletter, The Wildlife Rehabilitator:

In spring of 2009 the Tasmanian devil was listed as an Australian endangered species, largely due to the fatal Devil Tumor Facial Disease (DTFD). It has wiped out 60% of the population since 1996. In 2007 it was discovered the cancer cells from multiple devils all share distinct genetic markers not found in the individual animals themselves. Using a large-scale genetic analysis in 2009, cooperating scientists from Australia and the US discovered a set of active genes in the tumors that are normally active only in the nerve cells known as Schwann cells. This indicates that a single Schwann cell from a single animal was the progenitor of all DTFD tumor cells, and that the disease is young as no cellular variation has occurred. DTFD is also unique in that only one other known cancer (in canines) has a natural parasitic-like infectious transmission of cells. The good news is now that the origin and active genes have been identified, development of treatment options for the devils, including a possible vaccine, can begin, hopefully before the population is devastated beyond recovery.

Read more about it here. At least for one species it seems hope may be on the horizon....

Snacking on chicken wings.

Here we have some pics of the gang enjoying their chicken wings!

LOL! Just kidding......well sort of! When I enter that pen with chicken wings this is exactly what it's like! I have to protect my fingers and limbs big time...they turn from Muppet's into Tasmanian devils instantly!

While on the topic....here's a little info from National Geographic on Taz, now on the endangered list due to a contagious cancer spreading like wildfire among the few that are left!

Once abundant throughout Australia Tasmanian devils are now indigenous only to the island state of Tasmania. Their Tasmanian range encompasses the entire island, although they are partial to coastal scrublands and forests. Biologists speculate that their extinction on the mainland is attributable to the introduction of Asian dogs, or dingoes.
Efforts in the late 1800s to eradicate Tasmanian devils, which farmers erroneously believed were killing livestock (although they were known to take poultry), were nearly successful. In 1941, the government made devils a protected species, and their numbers have grown steadily since.

Survival Threatened
Tragically, though, a catastrophic illness discovered in the mid-1990s has killed tens of thousands of Tasmanian devils. Called devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), this rapidly spreading condition is a rare contagious cancer that causes large lumps to form around the animal's mouth and head, making it hard for it to eat. The animal eventually starves to death. Animal health experts are sequestering populations where the disease has not yet appeared and are focusing on captive breeding programs to save the species from extinction. Because of the outbreak, the Australian government has listed Tasmanian devils as vulnerable.

You can read their full article here:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/tasmanian-devil.html