The Tasmanian Devil Returns To Mainland Australia After 3000 Years
Not all is bad news in the world of conservation, as official sources have echoed the following news in recent days: the Tasmanian devil returns to mainland Australia after 3000 years.
This species disappeared from the Australian continent in the mid-Holocene – the current geological era. Although the causes are not fully known, the Tasmanian devil was confined to the island of Tasmania, a small island state that belongs to the Australian government. Up to now.
This news is a real joy for all ecologists and conservationists in the world, as it shows that, even on rare occasions, human beings can return the land that they have taken from living beings.
Australia: the lost land of the Tasmanian devil
The Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) is a marsupial mammal that belongs to the Dasyuridae family . It should be noted that it is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, as its size is similar to that of a small dog.
Beyond its morphological characteristics, this species draws attention for its survival to the limit. For thousands of years the Tasmanian devil had its range reduced to the island of Tasmania, an area of about 68,000 square kilometers located off the southern coast of the Australian continent.
In addition, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers this marsupial to be in danger, estimating that there are currently no more than 15,000 individuals in the wild. How did you get to this situation?
A continuing population decline
In the middle of the Pleistocene, this species was distributed throughout the Australian continent, but during the Holocene its populations were reduced to three relict nuclei on the island of Tasmania.
The exact causes of this exaggerated decline are unknown, but it is known that it coincided with the expansion of the dingoes – a species of wolf – and the aborigines across the continent. It is not known whether it was direct hunting, interspecific competition, or a combination of factors that led to its disappearance.
Still, the ordeal of the Tasmanian devil did not end when he secluded himself on the island. We show you two disastrous events for the species:
- A clear population decline was observed in the first decades of the 20th century. It was believed to be a devilish and murderous animal, and it also had good skin — along with Wallabyes and possums — which is why more than 900,000 specimens were hunted in a few years.
- Despite being considered a protected species in 1941, around 10,000 individuals were hunted per year in the mid-1990s.
- In addition to this, Tasmanian devils suffer from a unique type of facial cancer. It is estimated that this pathology has been the cause of the decrease from 20% to 80% of the populations in some areas.
As we can see, this ferocious marsupial has not had an easy time historically speaking. In addition to continued hunting over the years, he has had to deal with the only type of cancer that is considered transmissible.
Good news for the Tasmanian devil
Professional sources such as National Geographic magazine underline the importance of the news that we have previously told you about, as it is a new chance of survival for the species.
Thanks to the ambitious Devil comeback project – promoted by the Aussie Ark, WildArk and Global Wildlife conservation organizations – 26 Tasmanian devils have been released in the Barrington Tops nature sanctuary.
It is a reserve of about 400 hectares of extension, which is located in the state of New South Wales. Beyond the exact geographic location, the most important thing is that the Tasmanian devil has returned to the Australian continent.
Furthermore, conservation efforts do not end here. Following the success of the first reintroduction, the aforementioned organizations plan to integrate some 40 more individuals in the next two years. The hope is that this marsupial will settle back into its original environment.
As we have seen, the reintroduction of the Tasmanian devil to the Australian continent has not been a miracle. This plan has taken decades of effort for multiple organizations, and without them, we would surely be facing the extinction of the species.
