Sue Neales The Australian 10 Dec 11;
THE devastating cancer that has killed thousands of endangered Tasmanian devils has spread to a new part of the island state.
The discovery this week of a sick animal with the devil facial tumour disease near the west coast mining town of Zeehan has destroyed hopes of a naturally resistant population living on Tasmania's wild west coast.
It is the first time a sick devil has been found so far south and west, says Howel Williams, director of the state government's Save the Tasmanian Devil program.
The discovery has hastened moves to establish a new isolated population of healthy devils offshore from Tasmania's east coast, on Maria Island.
Mr Williams said an application to relocate 50 devils to Maria Island National Park was submitted to federal Environment Minister Tony Burke several days ago.
Free trial
The shift requires federal approval as the introduction of the carnivorous Tasmanian Devil on to Maria Island -- which is currently devil-free -- could affect other threatened species.
Mr Williams said the discovery of the diseased devil near Zeehan, more than 60km southwest of other sick or dead animals found near the farming area of Waratah, was inevitable and disappointing. "It's further west than we would have liked and perhaps happened a bit sooner than we had hoped, because we thought the surrounding wild terrain would have been a bit more of a barrier," said Mr Williams, an expert on the species.
DFTD was first discovered in northwest Tasmania in 1996 and has since wiped out massive numbers of the threatened creatures, found only in Tasmania.
The disease, a rare infectious cancer thought to be spread by biting, is hard to detect until hideous tumours and gaping wound appear on the devils' heads, not long before death.
But Mr Williams said the discovery of the diseased devil at Zeehan -- confirmed in pathology tests this week -- did not change the plans for a conservation strategy for the species.
He is pleased great progress has been made with breeding healthy devils in zoos and animal centres around Australia, ensuring the species will not become extinct.
