Devil Ark
The Tasmanian devil is dying off and humans are only part of the problem. A cancer is decimating the wild population.
The beautiful, secretive and very dangerous Tasmanian devil is on the verge of extinction. This time, however, humans are not the sole culprits. A deadly contagious cancer known as Devil Facial Tumour Disease is devastating the already-threatened wild population.
Described as one of the most ambitious breeding programmes for any predator species worldwide, the Devil Ark project in Australia’s New South Wales aims to establish and maintain a population of 1,000 or more Tasmanian devils, in conditions resembling as closely as possible their natural habitat, while the disease runs its course through the wild population.
Juliette Pearce travels to New South Wales to see how the breeding programme is progressing.