Paradise for 'demons'

Australian officials will bring 14 "Tasmanian devils" to an island to help the species avoid the danger of extinction by face cancer.

Several tens of thousands of Tasmanian devils, named an endemic pocket mammal in the state of Tasmania of Australia, have died of facial tumors. The rapid spread of facial tumors left the conservationists worried that Tasmanian devils might become extinct.

To prevent that threat, the Tasmanian state government, four years ago, implemented a program to collect Tasmanian demons to feed in a separate environment. So far officials have collected nearly 200 uninfected animals. Public opinion urged authorities to bring Tasmanian demons to an island isolated from the outside world, Discovery reported.

The number of Tasmanian demons in the wild
Australia dropped by 91% after the face tumor spread and spread.

Tasmania's Environment Minister Brian Wightman announced that experts have selected 14 Tasmanian demons to take them to Maria Island, a nature reserve near the state's west coast. According to him, this is an "important step" in the race against time to save the Tasmanian demon. If they live on Maria Island, they will not be exposed to infected animals, so tumors will not be able to attack them.

"Maria Island will become Tasmania's paradise. That's where they will grow into a sustainable population , " he said.

Scientists have discovered facial tumors in the Tasmanian devil since 1996 and since then their number in the wild environment has decreased by 91%. Tumors that kill animals within 3 to 6 months. Healthy children spread the disease when they fight with infected children to gain territory and food. During the battle, Tasmanian devils bite each other's faces. Cancer cells pass from infected faces to the mouths of healthy animals.