Sarcophilus harrisii 

The Tasmanian Devil is the world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial. Devils once occurred on mainland Australia, but today are found only in Tasmania. Unfortunately the species is faced with the threat of extinction from the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

DFTD describes a fatal condition in Tasmanian Devils characterised by the appearance of obvious facial cancers. The tumours or cancers are first noticed in and around the mouth as small lesions or lumps. These develop into large tumours around the face and neck and sometimes even in other parts of the body. Affected animals appear to die within six months of the lesions first appearing.

The role of Healesville Sanctuary is in the captive management of Tasmanian Devils, including a breeding program. This is a vital element of the ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ program, which was established to investigate the disease through population monitoring, disease diagnostics and wild population management.  As such, Healesville Sanctuary is home to a family of Tasmanian Devils, which form part of an insurance population sent to mainland Australia for breeding purposes.

The Program Focus

Due to the rapid decline in population numbers, the ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ program aims to urgently address the various issues associated with DFTD. The program focuses on:

• Population monitoring to clarify disease distribution and impacts, and to determine conservation strategies
• Laboratory-based diagnostics to investigate the disease, its transmission and possible causes
• Wild population management to reduce the impact of the disease in the wild. This includes continuing attempts in southern Tasmania to create a disease-free region
• Captive breeding programs with 'founders' taken from areas of the state where there is no record of the disease, to provide insurance populations

The Conservation Issue

DFTD was first observed in the mid-1990s and it is believed that over the last ten years a third to half of the wild devil population has been lost to the disease. The proportion of animals displaying signs of the disease at any one site has reached up to 83% of trapped adults.

The concern from an ecological point of view is that with reduced populations of Tasmanian devils there is opportunity for predating species such as foxes and feral cats to take over the territory, affecting the diversity of organisms associated with Tasmanian Devils. 

Zoos Victoria’s Conservation Field Partners

The ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ program in Tasmania is a collaborative plan funded by the Australian and Tasmanian governments and is overseen by a steering committee consisting of government stakeholders, the University of Tasmania, non-government stakeholders and experts. 

Suzuki Australia has announced its commitment to saving the Tasmanian Devil through a partnership with Zoos Victoria. Suzuki will donate funds from the sale of every Suzuki SUV to help save the Tasmanian Devil and provide uniquely branded Grand Vitaras to help raise awareness of the plight of Tasmanian Devils.

The Program Plan

The overall objective to ‘maintain an enduring and ecologically functional population of Tasmanian Devils in the wild in Tasmania’. (‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ strategic plan)

The specific objectives are:

• Maintain the genetic diversity of the Tasmanian Devil population
• Maintain the Tasmanian Devil population in the wild
• Manage the ecological impacts of a reduced Tasmanian Devil population over its natural range

Zoos Victoria's Role

Healesville Sanctuary is one of four mainland zoos taking Tasmanian Devils as part of a captive insurance population. This population could be an essential source of animals for wild reintroduction should the catastrophic decline of the species continue. The program aims to breed and manage a sustainable captive population of about 100 devils for at least 10 years. During this time, authorities are working to eradicate the DFTD from Tasmania.

Zoos Victoria’s key roles in the recovery of this species are to:

1. Supplement in situ populations through captive breeding for reintroduction.
2. Maintain an insurance population in captivity In the event that the wild population continues to decline.
3. Help with population monitoring programs.
4. Undertake research into Devil Facial Tumour Disease.
5. Increase community awareness of the plight of the Tasmanian Devil and community support for its conservation.