Tasmanian devil, the largest carnivorous marsupials, living only on the Australian island Tasmania, is on the limit of full extinction as a result of global warming and distribution of a rare kind of the malignant tumor amazing a muzzle and a mouth of an animal. If the tendency will be kept, the Tasmanian devils ,who have served as a prototype to well-known cartoon character named the Taz from serial Looney Tunes, completely will disappear from the face of the Earth in 10-20 years.
In opinion of scientists, the cancer has destroyed third of population of these rare animals. Global warming corresponds with increase of infection. Professor Hamish McCollum from the Tasmania university tries to create colonies of healthy Tasmanian devils to not admit disappearance of this kind of animals. Nobody knows, how many animals remain, but according to McCollum, the minimal population should make 20 thousand individuals.
Most likely, the infectious cancer, which destroying Tasmanian devils, is transferred from an animal to an animal during fights. Mysterious disease has appeared at northeast coast of Tasmania 10 years ago, and in opinion of scientists, now illness has not grasped only 50 kilometers of the western coast. ” We can catch in it to year of animals at the western coast of island and to be practically assured, that they are healthy, –McCollum has explained – In the next year this probability will decrease, and in a future years chances are very small “.
More than 40 devils have been placed in the Australian zoos, and nearby 30 recently have arrived to Hobart’s quarantine. Scientists are going to create a colony of Tasmanian devils on Maria’s Island. McCollum expects to finish preparation in a few weeks, and devils will be delivered on island in three months. In opinion of scientists, Maria’s Island can become first of twelve islands and the isolated peninsulas on whom cultivation of healthy Tasmanian devils is possible
Hollywood movie company Warner Bros. Will allocate a part of money from sale DVD with cartoons about Bugs Bunny and Duffy Duck for rescue Tasmanian devils from full extinction, informs Reuters. Money will be transferred in the special fund created at University of Tasmania. Minister of tourism, art and an environment of Tasmania of the Pola Read has told: ” This cooperation will provide good deed of preservation of these rare animals “.
The representative of this kind of animals became in series Looney Tunes the Taz, one of opponents of Bugs Bunny. “Taz” is described as: “A strong murderous beast, jaws as powerful as a steel trap, has ravenous appetite, eats tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, giraffes, octopuses, rhinoceroses, and moose.” Tasmanian Devil also eats chickens, ducks, and especially rabbits.
In nature , the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii, Latin Sarco means flesh; philus means lover), is a carnivorous marsupial,now the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world (after the recent extinction of the Thylacine in 1936). The Tasmanian devil’s size is approximately as size of a small dog, have black fur, is s stocky and muscular, extremely loud and disturbing screech, with a set of large, strong teeth, viciousness when feeding and characterized by offensive odour when stressed. Adult male weighs between 10 - 12kg, while the female is somewhat smaller at 6 - 8kg. “Devils†were hunted until 1941, because they were seen as a threat to livestock in Tasmania. After 1941 they became officially protected. Since the late 1990s devil facial tumor disease has reduced the devil population significantly