What do we know about the disease
Mapping the spread of the disease
Devil listed as “endangered”
Project ark
Interlinked strategies for insurance population
Cedric's life inheritance
Forum presentations
Frequently asked questions

Tasmanian devils with large facial tumours were photographed in north-east Tasmania during 1996. A decade later, we know these characteristics are consistent with Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) - a fatal condition in Tasmanian devils, characterised by cancers around the mouth and head.

As at May 2008, the Tasmanian devil disease had been confirmed at 63 different locations across more than 60% of Tasmania's mainland.

See the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program information on the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water website.

What we know about the disease

The Tasmanian devil disease is a new disease, an infectious cancer, that is restricted to Tasmanian devils.

No affected animals were reported among the 2000-plus Tasmanian devils trapped by wildlife biologists between 1964 and 1995.

Once the cancer becomes visible, it always appears to be fatal - usually within three months. Small lesions, or lumps, in and around the mouth quickly develop into large tumours on the face and neck (and sometimes other parts of the body).

Tasmanian devils with facial tumours find it difficult to eat. Death results from starvation and the breakdown of body functions.

In diseased areas, nearly all the Tasmanian devils that are sexually mature (older than two years of age) become infected and succumb to the disease. Juveniles as young as one year old can also be infected.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) is extremely unusual as it is only one of three recorded cancers that can spread like a contagious disease. The cancer is passed from devil to devil through biting. The live tumour cells aren’t rejected by the animal’s immune system because of a lack of genetic diversity among Tasmanian devils.

For this reason, cases continue to occur in areas where the disease had not previously been recorded. As at May 2008, there has been a 64% decline in average sightings across Tasmania from 1992-95 to 2003-06. In the north-east region, where signs of the Tasmanian devil disease were first reported, there has been a 95% (approximately) decline of average spotlighting sightings from 1992-95 to 2002-05.

It is uncommon for wildlife diseases to lead directly to population extinction in the absence of other severe threats. But to date, there had not been any evidence of population or individual resistance or recovery from the disease.

LEFT: Map showing known distribution of DFTD in Tasmania

There are concerns that the drastic fall in population may allow introduced predators such as feral cats and foxes to move into the Tasmanian devil's niche. If this occurs there could be a wider impact on Tasmania's unique wildlife.

In May 2008, the Tasmanian devil was listed as “Endangered” under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

"The upgrading in status from vulnerable to endangered, recommended to me by the Scientific Advisory Committee, reflect the reductions in the devil population, resulting from Devil Facial Tumour Disease," said David Llewellyn, the Tasmanian minister for Primary Industries and Water.

"It reminds us all that there are no quick and easy solutions in our conservation effort."

Sightings of the devil have declined by 64% over the past decade and, as at May 2008, Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) is found across more than 60% of Tasmania.

In September 2006, DFTD was gazetted under the Animal Health Act 1995 as a List B notifiable disease. The Tasmanian devil has also been listed as Endangered on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) – widely considered the most authoritative and objective system for classifying species in terms of their risk of extinction.

During the first few months of 2008, a total of 63 juvenile Tasmanian devils were collected from 11 different sites in western Tasmania to add to the captive insurance population.

These 'Project Ark' devils could play an important role, if ever needed, in helping re-establish healthy wild populations in Tasmania. (See the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program - Insurance Population Strategy) (PDF, 36 KB). Already 73 Tasmanian devils have been sent to mainland wildlife parks, where they’re happily breeding, far away from the threat of DFTD.

'Our focus has been on recently-weaned devils, around one year old, and without signs of biting or fighting,' said Dydee Mann, the scientific officer co-ordinating the intake. 'Our research shows DFTD is less common in young devils, and, as the timing of our intake is before the main devil dispersal period, these devils are much less likely to have wandered in from a diseased area.'

To date, there has been very strong evidence that DFTD has not spread further west than the Cradle Mountain area (more precisely, West Pencil Pine, 20km north-west of Cradle Mountain). Throughout October and December 2007, monitoring teams carried out nine trapping trips in the 'boundary zone' (between 25 – 50km from the known front), and caught 201 devils. All were free of DFTD symptoms, giving us confidence that devils taken beyond this area have a very low risk of having DFTD. Trapping of insurance devils was then planned at least 50km further west of the known front, just to be cautious.

Taking advice from the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA), the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program has determined that we need an effective population size of around 500 breeding devils to maintain the genetic diversity of the species over a period of 10 to 20 years. This may mean having as many as 1,500 devils being intensively managed in captivity – a massive task.

Interlinked strategies for insurance population

A series of interlinked conservation activities to build on the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s Insurance Strategy were proposed by an international workshop held in Hobart in July, 2008.

The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) was flown in from the US by the Taronga Conservation Society to facilitate the workshop, which used the collective knowledge of scientists, habitat managers, researchers, wildlife agencies, universities, zoos, traditional land managers, and State and Federal Governments to further develop the insurance population strategy in place for the program.

"Our aim has been to develop strategies on top of those already in place that will ensure the survival of the Tasmanian devil in the wild through building on ‘insurance’ populations to protect them from the disease," said Dr Onnie Byers, CBSG executive director.

"This has been a particularly complex process in that our computer modelling is predicting that there is no single action that may save Tasmanian devils, therefore a range of targeted conservation activities is essential.

"This group of experts has devised a series of interlinking programs that can be implemented simultaneously to protect devils in their wild habitats and also preserve the genetic diversity of the species."

The workshop was hosted by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW), and funded by the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.

"Through the CBSG process, we’ve assessed a combination of solutions, from zoo-based ‘insurance’ breeding programs on the mainland and away from the disease, to large protected areas where devils can be managed to maintain their genetic health," said Dr Rebecca Spindler, the head of Taronga’s conservation and research.

"We’ve also looked at the possibility of fencing or allocating areas where disease-free wild populations can be protected.

"These comprehensive, linked plans have been formulated to guide immediate action for devils and will now be presented to the Tasmanian State and Federal governments for their endorsement."

It is only the second time this conservation planning process has been used in Australia. The first, a success, was for the Striped Legless Lizard.

CBSG has an impressive track record and has coordinated plans for the recovery of the critically endangered Red Wolf in the US and Tree Kangaroo in Papua New Guinea.

Cedric's life inheritance

A male Tasmanian devil that showed an immune response when injected with killed DFTD cells was being paired with a female, as at May 2008, so that researchers can study the inheritance pattern of his immune responsive genes.

Associate Professor Greg Woods, from the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Research Institute, explained that this male devil (Cedric) was injected with dead DFTD tumour cells. Cedric produced an immune response as his body recognised the DFTD tumour cells as foreign.

This is particularly promising because it is the lack of genetic diversity among Tasmanian devils that is a key factor in the transmission of DFTD. Devils don’t produce immune responses to DFTD because the diseased cells are too similar to their own cells.

But Cedric is from the west-coast of Tasmania and has different genes to the east-coast devils, which have been decimated by DFTD.

"Devils, like everyone else, have a group of genes call MHC," Greg said. "They are the genes that respond to anything that is foreign. If their genetic diversity is low, the MHC diversity is low.

"But what we’ve found is that Cedric’s MHC is sufficiently different to the tumour for the diseased cells to be recognised as foreign.

Greg believes it is likely that there are three genetic groups of devils in Tasmania. Some devils may be so genetically similar that there’s very little that we can do to save them from DFTD. A second group may be so genetically different that they are naturally resistant to the disease. And a third group may lie somewhere in between – and it is this group that may benefit from a vaccine.

The next phase of the trial began in late 2007 when Cedric was injected with live tumour cells. To date, Cedric has not shown any signs of devil facial tumour disease, providing encouraging support that some devils could be protected with a vaccine.

In the meantime, Cedric is getting to know Betty – a lovely two-year-old female. It is hoped they will start a family, allowing the Menzies Researchers to further explore the potential of Cedric’s genes.

Forum presentations

The scientific forum held in Hobart during February 2007 provided an opportunity for a wide range of wildlife biologists, disease experts and other scientists involved in research projects to evaluate what has been learned about the disease so far and identify actions for the future. Read the abstracts from the forum. (PDF 349 KB).

A series of public presentations took place May - September 2007 to provide the wider community with the opportunity to hear directly from scientists involved in projects aimed at conserving the species in the wild. You can listen to the Public Lecture series recordings online.

 

 

 

 

 

• Communique - Save the Tasmanian Devil Program: On 21 April 2008, the Steering Committee of the Save the Tasmanian Devil program met in Hobart to oversee delivery of the program. The Committee endorsed significant changes to the risk categorisation for captive Tasmanian devils and to the biosecurity guidelines recommended by the Tasmanian Chief Veterinary Officer. These changes were based on improved understanding of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease and greater confidence about the way in which the disease may be transmitted.
  
  The Committee considered a Scientific Research Strategy prepared by the Senior Scientist for the program and endorsed it, subject to some minor changes. The endorsed Risk Categorisation, Biosecurity Guidelines and Scientific Research Strategy will soon be posted on the program’s website www.tassiedevil.com.au
  
  The Committee considered a new Communication Strategy for the program that will ensure that all communication about the program is integrated, timely and informative. Following some minor changes, the Strategy will be endorsed and made publicly available.
  
  The Committee were pleased to receive reports on the status of the 31 outputs that comprise the program, and noted the significant progress being made.
  
  At the next meeting of the Committee in July 2008, a 5 year Business Plan will be considered that will detail the plans for the coming year and beyond to ensure that every effort is made to ensure that the Tasmanian devil survives in the wild in Tasmania.
  
  The Committee noted with regret the retirement of the program manager Steven Smith, and thanked him for his contribution to the program over the past 2 years. It is expected that the position will soon be filled and that there will be a seamless continuation of program management.
  
  
  Also see other Communiques from the Steering Committee and further information about the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

   

Recent and significant scientific developments and publications

• Remains of Tasmanian devils that are thousands of years old could hold clues about how to deal with the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Read more
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• In July 2008, Anne-Maree Pearse, a cytogeneticist with the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water, said a project undertaken at the Mt Pleasant Laboratory had identified several different strains of the transmissible cancer. Read more
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• Recently-published research into the diet of the Tasmanian devil will be important for the management of wild and captive devil populations, as well as in helping us to understand the devil’s place in the environment. Read more.
• Tasmanian devils are breeding early in response to the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), scientists from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program have discovered. In a paper published in July 2008 in the US journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of the Science (PNAS), the researchers explain that this is the first known case of infectious disease leading to increased early reproduction in a mammal. Read more.
• Collaborative research across Australia has provided further evidence that a lack of genetic diversity among Tasmanian devils is a key factor in the transmission of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Read more.
• Update on toxicological investigations - Independent assessments of toxicological data from healthy devils and devils suffering from Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease found that a chemical cause of the disease is unlikely. Read the full reports.
  
• Devil genome - For information on the Devil Sequencing (Genome) Project which is in progress at the Children's Cancer Institute of Australia (CCIA), go to the CCIA website
• Using genetics to guide selective breeding - An integrated research program is needed to describe the Tasmanian devil genome and determine how to overcome the problem of low genetic diversity in the population, a genetics workshop at the University of Tasmania concluded in November 2007. Read more
• Ecohealth journal article, September 2007 - The Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) was the special focus of the September 2007 issue of the international, peer-reviewed journal, EcoHealth (www.ecohealth.net), which focuses on ecology, human health, global climate change, and conservation medicine. Read more
• A contagious cancer - The Devil Facial Tumour disease is a remarkable cancer as it is one of only three recorded cancers that spread like a contagious disease. Read more
• A facial tumour that appeared to shrink in an “interesting” devil - Read more
• Dr Elizabeth Murchison, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York - Dr Murchison and colleagues at New York’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are using new DNA sequencing technologies to discover the genes that cause DFTD. Read more
• Genome sequences
  Dr Kathy Belov, from the University of Sydney, is hoping her recent work with genome sequences will lead to a better understanding of the Tasmanian devils’ immune responses to facial tumours. Read more
• CSIRO Scientific Research - May 2007
  CSIRO scientists have joined the battle to save Australia’s iconic Tasmanian devils from the deadly cancer devastating the devil populations. Read more
• A case definition of Devil Facial Tumour Disease - November 2006
  Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW) veterinary pathologist Dr Richmond Loh, in conjunction with Murdoch University, published a case definition of the Tasmanian devil disease in the November edition of Veterinary Pathology. Read more
• Full list of recent scientific publications (PDF, 44 KB)
• Recent Public Lecture series recordings
• See other research findings


• Newsletters
  Newsletters produced by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program will keep you informed about the progress being made in response to the disease.
  September 2008 (PDF, 978 KB)
  June 2008 (PDF, 1MB)
  March 2008 (PDF, 1MB)
  December 2007 (PDF, 805 KB)
  August 2007 (PDF, 1.17 MB)
  May 2007 (PDF, 752 KB)
  February 2007 (PDF, 897 KB)
  December 2006 (PDF, 621 KB)
  March 2006 (PDF, 906 KB)
• Research and Scholarship Grants
  
  The University of Tasmania, through the Tasmanian Wildlife Research Advisory Committee (TWRAC), allocates scholarships and grants for research into all aspects of the Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease. These awards are funded from public donations received through the Tasmanian Devil Appeal by the UTAS Foundation and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. They support key research areas approved by the Devil Facial Tumour Disease Steering Committee (formed after the October 2003 workshop of scientists and animal health experts from institutions and organisations throughout Australia).
  
  Research grants valued at up to $25 000 each are available to assist with projects endorsed by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Scholarships are available to honours and postgraduate students at UTAS undertaking research related to TDFTD. International students are eligible to apply.
  
  Applications for Research Grants and Scholarships are now accepted on an ongoing basis, to be considered at the next available funding round. Submissions for consideration at the next funding rounds must be received by 31 October 2007, February 29 2008 and 30 June 2008.
  
  More information on the awards and application process is available on the UTAS website. (Information on recent recipients is available on our Schools page)
• Checking for signs of the disease Purpose-designed traps have been invented by the Devil Facial Tumour Disease wildlife monitoring team to provide a less stressful environment for the temporarily caged animals. The animals are carefully examined for signs of the disease before they are released back into the wild.
• Remote sensor cameras Some areas of the state have low-density populations of Tasmania devils, limiting the effectiveness of physical trapping. Other areas are isolated, making it impossible to check traps on a daily basis. For these regions, the Devil Facial Tumour Disease wildlife monitoring team has developed remote sensor cameras. The new technology consists of a digital camera triggered when an infrared sensor picks up the movement of an animal. Tasmanian devils are lured into the area by bait placed at the site in an impenetrable container. More information on the purpose-built traps and remote sensor cameras is available on the website of the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water.
• Would you like to know more?
  
  See the Science of Devil Facial Tumour Disease information on the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water website or view a movie on the Tasmanian devil.