Tasmanian Devils Threatened by Contagious Facial Cancer

The population of the Tasmanian Devil, one of the most famous tourism icons of Australia, is not only valued for shaping the natural landscape but also for acting as a natural buffer in establishing the fox population in Tasmania. That is why the news of a rare kind of facial cancer spreading across this species is an incessant cause of concern for ecologists, naturalists, tourists, and also the Australian government.

Reported first in 1996, the Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) spread quite rapidly among the Tasmanian Devils, mainly in the eastern parts of Tasmania. The overall prevalence of the condition was reported from 64 places in the state, in end 2008, over 60% of the state’s total area. In high-density populations of the species, there is more than 90% of mortality rate, with most of the affected animals dying in 6 to 18 months after contracting the disease. For the ecologists and conservationists, this situation is no less than an emergency.

The DFTD is a non-viral form of facial cancer that appears as small lumps or lesions around the mouth of a newly infected devil. These lesions then grow into malignant (cancerous) tumors, spreading from the mouth to the face and neck of the animal, and sometimes throughout the body. The tumors inhibit the animal’s growth, rapidly declining its health, and interfere with feeding. The disease is believed to spread among devils through biting – something very rare for cancer.

A number of academic institutes including the universities of Murdoch, Sydney, Queensland, and Tasmania, along with wildlife departments, are researching the nature, prevention, and treatment of DFTD. Tasmanian Devil population is being monitored across the state. The western part of Tasmania, so far, appears fairly safe from the condition. Monitoring formation is being used to plan the controlling of the disease in places where it has not reached.

Laboratory research on the diagnostics of the disease has revealed that the origin of the cancerous cells is neuroendocrine with the possibility of environmental toxins as a contributing factor in triggering the disease. The problem of low genetic diversity in the species makes it difficult for the immune system of healthy devils to resist the invasion of tumor cells. By now, nine different strains of DFTD have been discovered, meaning that the disease is evolving. This not only makes the preparation of an effective vaccine difficult but also points to a risk of other similar species falling victim to one of the evolving strains.

More recently, 47 healthy Tasmanian Devils have been taken to wildlife parks in Australia’s mainland while the Tasman Peninsula is being considered as a would-be sanctuary for the survival and healthy breeding of the species.

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