URL:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/2007021...awildlifedevils
Text:
Tasmanian devils face extinction from mutant cancer Mon Feb 19, 6:27 AM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - A mutant cancer which causes facial tumours on Australia's Tasmanian devil has brought the carnivorous marsupial to the brink of extinction, a leading researcher has said.
Local populations of the animal, popularised as Taz by Warner Bros. in its Looney Tunes cartoons, have already been savaged by the mysterious disease which results in malignant facial tumours.
Hamish McCallum, professor of wildlife research at the University of Tasmania's school of zoology, said the disease, which usually results in death six months after the appearance of the first lesions, could lead to the extinction of the species within a decade.
"I won't say that it's the most likely outcome but I think at this stage there is an unacceptable risk that we may lose all populations on mainland Tasmania," he told AFP Monday. "And I think probably in the next 10 years."
McCallum, who on Tuesday will attend the largest conference on the issue since the disease was discovered in 1996, likened the illness to AIDS in humans for its ability to destroy entire populations of the dog-like animal.
"It's very different biologically from AIDS but it seems almost uniformly fatal," he said.
"There are virtually no cases were animals have survived for more than six months with the disease."
McCallum said that in some places the disease is estimated to have reduced local populations of the animal by as much as 70 percent.
The Tasmanian devil is found only on the island state south of the Australian mainland.
Early European settlers named the feisty marsupial the devil for its spine-chilling screeches, dark appearance and reputed bad temper which, along with its steeltrap jaw, made it appear incredibly fierce
Fearful that the entire Tasmanian devil population could be wiped out by the mysterious illness, environmental authorities recently took four colonies of healthy animals off the island and placed them in zoos in mainland Australia.
They are also removing the diseased animals from the wild when they can to prevent the spread of the tumours which grow large enough to prevent the animals from feeding and also lead to rotting of the jaw.
Warner Bros have also decided to help, allowing Australian officials to sell plush toy versions of the Taz character, often drawn as spinning like a mini-whirlwind, to help raise funds for research to save the animal.
The cause of the disease is not yet known but McCallum said while it appeared to have originated in just one animal it was spread widely through contact with other animals, mostly by biting.
"It would be some form of weird mutation," he said of the disease.
"Animals biting each other seems to be the most likely explanation at the moment and a lot of biting occurs during mating."
McCallum added there was no evidence to suggest the disease had spread to other animals.
Linear Mode
