Downies ECI Doing Their Part For The Conservation of Tasmanian Devil

To a lot of people outside of Australia, particularly in the US, the name "Tasmanian Devil" most likely conjeurs up images of the Bugs Bunny Show, where a cartoon tornado would whirl into view and out would pop a growling, snarling, crazy beast! The real-life Tasmanian Devil is native to the island of Tasmania off the Australian South-East coast. Like it's cartoon cousin it also has a reputation for being snarly and cantankerous (although this is more myth than anything else and Devils will sooner flee than attack humans), but due to a rare form of facial tumour that is contagious amongst the Devil population, this small but fearsome native animal is quickly becoming endangered.

First seen in 1996, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has ravaged Tasmania's wild devils, and estimates of the impact range from 20% to as much as a 50% decline in the devil population, with over 65% of the state affected. The disease is an example of a transmissible cancer, which means that it is contagious and passed from one animal to another.

The Devils @ Cradle Tasmanian devil Sanctuary focuses on Tasmania's three carnivorous marsupials, concentrating primarily on the Tasmanian devil but including both the Eastern and Spotted - tail Quoll. The Devils @ Cradle Sanctuary breeding program is vital to the long term conservation of the Tasmanian Devil which is now threatened by Facial Tumour Disease. This allows for sustainable breeding with the intention of release into the wild. For further information, see www.devils@cradle.com.

Downies/ECI is the proud sponsor of "Mortimer", a young Tasmanian Devil at the Devils @ Cradle Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary. We encourgage our valued clients to visit the Devils @ Cradle Sanctuary website and take part in this worthwhile conservation program.