Our Tassie Devil is a fighter

A place where the Tassie Devil is safe

Scientists continue to try to understand the devastating disease that has wiped out Devil populations across much of eastern and northern Tasmania. Some parts of Tasmania have had their Devil populations depleted by over 80%, and millions of dollars have been spent on research and relocation.

But there is a disease-free haven.

In one unprotected pocket of Tasmania, the Tassie Devil is free of this deadly disease. The magnificent Tarkine forests in north-west Tasmania remain a critical disease-free refuge for the Devil. The remoteness, lack of roads and distance from diseased areas being key to the value of this natural sanctuary.

Protect the Tarkine, help protect the Tassie Devil

The best way to help these healthy Tassie Devils is to keep their pristine habitat pristine. That means we need to:

• Protect the Tarkine, a critical region where Tassie Devils are not affected by the facial tumour disease! By creating new national parks and ending the expansions of logging and mining roads we can help keep the Tarkine – and therefore the Devil – safe.
• Stop logging of native and old growth forests – that’s what plantation forests are for!
• Introduce tougher environmental legislation to protect endangered Tassie Devil and their forest habitat.

Tassie Devil facts

Fact: Devil’s are the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial (after the extinction of the Tassie Tiger in 1936).

Threats: Devil Facial Tumour Disease; logging of native habitat; becoming roadkill (because they are scavengers, they often feast on roadkill and then become roadkill themselves).

Area affected: Tasmania.

Impact on Devils: 80% drop in sightings of the Devil since the facial tumour disease was discovered in 1996. So in 20 years, we’ve lost most of them.