In a failed experiment, the Tasmanian devils exterminated 6,000 penguins on an Australian island

The 2012 plan to relocate a limited number of demons of Tasmania – mammals on the verge of extinction due to facial cancer – has been a failure.

Demons, indeed, they in turn exterminated some 3,000 pairs of penguins that already lived there. His arrival had “a catastrophic impact on one or more species of birds,” he noted. BirdLife Tasmania, a local species conservation organization.

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“Losing 3000 pairs of penguins from an island which is a national park, which should be a refuge for this species, it’s basically a blow, “said doctor Eric Woehler, investigator of the group, stressing that the result of the experiment was not a surprise.

In 2011, a report from the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment suggested that the introduction of Tasmanian devils would have had “a negative impact on small colonies of penguins and seabirds present on Maria Island ”.

Milestone for preservation

Tasmanian devils in the wild disappeared from the Australian continent about 3000 years ago, but a group of conservationists reported that several specimens of these reintroduced marsupials have bred in their natural state, raising hopes that the effort to preserve them will be successful.

The president of the NGO Aussie Ark, Tim Faulkner, revealed that seven of the mammals were born in a 400 hectare wilderness reserve in Barrington Tops, north of Sydney. These births took place after 26 adult specimens were released in a sanctuary, less than a year ago.

“Once the demons were back in the wild, it was all up to them, which was appalling,” the environmentalist told AFP’s news channel, noting that “we watched them from afar until ‘that it is time to act to confirm the birth of our babies. ”.

Faulkner said rangers examined the female pouches (or marsupia) and found the newborns “perfectly healthy”.

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In mainland Australia, it is assumed that these mammals they were exterminated by herds of dingoes, wild dogs, about 3000 years ago.

Tasmanian devils weigh up to 8 pounds and have black or brown fur, feed on other animals in their environment or on corpses, and are generally not dangerous to humans.

The Aussie Ark plans to release more Tasmanian Devils to the reserve over the next several years, as these animals are listed as an endangered species. Currently it is estimated that around 25,000 demons still live on the island of Tasmania.

With information from agencies.