Wild Tasmanian devils disappeared from mainland Australia close to 3,000 years ago. However, this story began to change on May 25th when conservation groups announced that the animals had been born there again.

Projects that aim to preserve the species, such as the Aussie Ark, placed 26 of these marsupials in a 400-hectare reserve (the equivalent to 400 football fields), in Barrington Tops, north of the city of Sydney, less than a year ago. In 2021, these mammals reproduced and had seven joeys, which were the first to be born there after three millennia. 

According to the groups, the reintroduction of these animals will help control wildcat and fox populations that hunt other endangered species. “We have been working tirelessly for the better part of 10 years to return devils to the wild of mainland Australia with the hope that they would establish a sustainable population,” said the organization Aussie Ark on social media. “We had been watching them from afar until it was time to step in and confirm the birth of our first wild joeys. And what a moment it was!”

Small Tasmanian devils are the size of a peanut and are carried by their mothers in pouches, like kangaroos. Because they are marsupials, these animals are carried outside the mother’s belly (in an organ called the marsupium) until they are ready to explore the world, which takes about four months.

Tasmanian devils disappeared from mainland Australia after dingoes (a type of wild dog) arrived and were confined to the island of Tasmania, in the south of the country.  They continue to be under threat due to a contagious form of cancer that has killed 80% of the population since 1996. It is estimated that about 25,000 of them live in Tasmania.

Tasmanian devil file

Learn about the largest carnivore marsupial in existence today

Size: 50 cm to 80 cm

Weight: 4 kg to 11 kg

Habitat: woods on seashores and forests

What it feeds on: fruits, insects, but mostly meat from live and dead animals

Fun facts: they are called devils because of the ghostly sounds they make at night and their strong roar. They became well-known thanks to the Looney Tunes cartoon character Taz.

Questions
1) Which is the correct alternative?
a) On May 25th, 3,000 Tasmanian devils were born in Australia.
b) A wild dog was responsible for eliminating the species from the mainland.
c) Tasmanian devils are herbivorous marsupial mammals.
d) The species is threatened by a contagious virus.

2) What do you think could be done to help endangered animals?

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