Word: tasmanians
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
They're six healthy Tasmanian devils, seemingly identical to the rest of their kind. Yet they're being kept at a secret location in Tasmania, and scientists are calling them the Special Six. What makes these devils different, and has their keepers so hopeful, is their genetic makeup. A virulently infectious cancer has wiped out more than half of their marsupial species, and so far only one devil has shown signs of resisting the disease. Starting this week, the Special Six will be injected with tumor cells to see if they can do the same. If their immune systems attack...
...Since hideous facial lesions were first spotted on Tasmanian devils in 1996, the species has been in freefall. At current rates, it's predicted that one of Australia's most unusual animals could vanish from the wild within three years. Spread by biting during mating and one of only three communicable cancers ever seen, devil facial tumor disease has baffled scientists. And as it rages through 60% of the devils' habitat, introduced pests like feral cats and foxes have been taking the place of Tasmania's largest native predator...
...Noah's arks" of devils are being stocked. Already 73 are in Australian zoos and wildlife parks, while another 63 have been caught this year. The aim is to build up a captive population of 1,500 - but that, says Steven Smith, manager of the state's Save the Tasmanian Devil program, may require the funds and facilities of a massive international breeding program, the first for an Australian species. Keeping devils is costly, as adults must be held in large individual enclosures to prevent fighting. Extra money is coming - $10 million from the federal government over the next five...
...Meanwhile, proposals to fence off Tasmanian peninsulas and establish devil colonies on nearby islands are about to be revisited, though some ecologists oppose using islands because of the damage an experienced new predator could do. Cordoning off peninsulas would also be expensive to maintain and hard to patrol. "Fencing out a disease is much harder than fencing out a predator," says Hamish McCallum. But like others, he worries about relying on captive devils, which will inevitably lose some wild traits: "I wouldn't want all my eggs in that basket...
...Rich though they are in curiosities, the collections have real scientific clout. They include more than 10,000 types, the specimens used to name and describe new species, as well as examples of creatures now rare (Gilbert's potoroo) or extinct (the skeleton of a Tasmanian tiger). Museum pays tribute to the science, both in Hay's historical essay and in the careful notes on each photograph: "The discrepancy between the information given here and the label on the bird's stand reflects a taxonomic refinement...