Tasmanian devils are carnivorous marsupial that was once native to Australia but now can only be found on the island of Tasmania. Conservationists who have been working with disease-free Tasmanian devils are planning a rewilding project in which they will reintroduce these animals to mainland Australia.
They believe that 30 thriving Tasmanian devils without tumor disease could help in this rewilding project, so they released them into the 500-hectare predator-free sanctuary in Barrington Tops national park.
Aussie Ark will be monitoring the activity of the Tasmanian devils through the trackers and camera attached to them. In that way, they will be able to make conclusions on whether sending them to the wild could help their conservation. If the Tasmanian devils thrive in the sanctuary, another set will be released in a second predator-free area within one year.
Restoring the Ecology of Forests
According to Aussie Ark's president, Tim Faulkner, releasing the Tasmanian devils is part of their goal to see if its reintroduction to that area will restore the ecology of forests that have been devastated by other animals like foxes, cats, and other predators. Tasmanian devils are a native species in Australia and were an essential predator in the area.
"Once we move and bleed out from sanctuary-type management into the natural landscape, the concept is that we have a natural predator roaming the landscape," Faulkner said.
He added that these animals represent a unique natural balance for feral pests, and by reintroducing them to mainland Australia, they bring back balance to its ecology.
Teen years ago, Aussie Ark began breeding Tasmanian devils in Barrington tops when a facial tumor has affected the population of the devils in Tasmania. They are still in the football-field-sized enclosures of Barrington tops at an altitude of 1,350 meters with conditions similar to Tasmania.
The first batch of animals will be closely monitored, assessed quarterly to check their health and reproduction rates. At first, conservationists will be feeding them but will slowly stop it as the devils learn to predate on animals, such as kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, and possums.
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A New Approach to Restoring Ecosystems
It is still uncertain when Tasmania devils started to go extinct in mainland Australia, but scientists believe it could be 500 to 5,000 years ago due to climate change, hunting, and dingo.
Researchers have been studying their possible ecological role in which ecologist Euan Ritchie of Deakin University said that they might be responsible for keeping overabundant herbivores in check and also the feral pests.
According to Ritchie, there are risks attached at the reintroduction of the Tasmanian devils that could affect other animals at varying degrees, that is why rewilding them takes a lot of consideration. But with Australia's atrocious conservation method, the country needs new approaches in restoring ecosystems, and one of these methods is rewilding the devils in mainland Australia.
Reintroducing the animal back to the environment needs staged trials to gather evidence of their impact on ecosystems, said ecologist Menna Jones from the University of Tasmania. She reminded people that the process of rewilding is not rapid.
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