Devils are in the clear

By Melissa Meehan
TEST results have confirmed that a small lesion found in the mouth of a Tasmanian devil at Healesville Sanctuary last week is not the feared facial tumour disease.
Nicole Humble from the Healesville Sanctuary said that the lesion was most likely caused by an aggravation to the gum made by chewing on a bone or fighting with other devils.
The facial tumour disease, a contagious cancer, has caused havoc for the population of Tasmanian devils already adding to the substantial decline of the species in Tasmania.
It is estimated that the cancer has resulted in the loss of between 30 and 50 per cent of the wild population, but despite recent findings that the cancer is spread by biting the cause of the disease is still unknown.
As part of the Australian Government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999, devils were taken from Tasmania and moved to Healesville Sanctuary in December 2006 as part of a species insurance program.
During a routine check-up, Healesville Sanctuary staff noticed a small type of gum lesion on one of their Tasmanian devils that is part of the insurance program.
They immediately put in place procedures to minimise the risk to other animals and provided a sample to veterinary pathologists who were able to confirm the nature of the lesion.
Project manager for Save the Tasmanian Devil, Dr Steven Smith says that the insurance program is important for the long-term survival of the devils and that the staff at Healesville Sanctuary handled the situation with professionalism.
“The way in which Healesville Sanctuary and our staff at Mt Pleasant have dealt with this highlights the importance of the biosecurity measures we have in place for the insurance population,” Dr Smith said.
“The insurance program recognises that we are dealing with an unusual type of cancer which is why we have ensured that there are specific protocols in place for all aspects of the care of the devils which form part of this program.”