What is devil facial tumour disease?
Devil facial tumour disease is a rare contagious cancer that affects Tasmanian devils. First seen in 1996, it has caused devil populations to fall by around 80 percent in affected areas.
The disease spreads when devils bite each other's faces during feeding and mating. Living cancer cells pass directly from one animal to another, which is extremely unusual. Large tumours form around the face and mouth, and infected devils usually die within months because they cannot eat.
A second, separate facial tumour disease was discovered in 2014. Both cancers have spread across much of Tasmania, the only place where devils still live in the wild.
Saving the devil
The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, created in 2003, runs research, monitoring and an insurance population of healthy devils kept in zoos, sanctuaries and on Maria Island.
Scientists are studying devils that show signs of resistance, and research into vaccines continues. Some wild populations appear to be adapting to the disease.
Tasmanian devils are listed as endangered. They are the world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial.
Did You Know?
In 2020, a small group of Tasmanian devils was released into a sanctuary on mainland Australia for the first time in about 3,000 years.