NEW YORK, NY, October 25, 2007 - Articles published in the latest issue of EcoHealth, an international peer-reviewed journal that focuses on ecology and health issues, reveal that a deadly, infectious facial tumor disease is spreading through wild populations of the Tasmanian devil. Studies show a dire prognosis for the species if steps are not immediately taken to isolate healthy populations of the animal. Since the late 1990s, Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) has significantly reduced the devil population and now threatens the species with possible extinction. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, found only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil is characterized by its black and white fur, loud screech and ferocious eating habits.

Scientists have noted declines of up to 90 percent in some Tasmanian devil populations since the discovery of DFTD in 1996. It is likely the disfiguring facial disease is transmitted from the bite of an infected animal usually occurring during mating. This wildlife disease is unique because tumor cells can be directly transferred between unrelated animals. It appears that the lack of an immune response to these foreign tumor cells is the result of very low genetic variation in the species. Dr. Peter Daszak, Executive Director of the Consortium of Conservation Medicine (CCM) at Wildlife Trust, stated, "This is a tragedy unfolding right in front of our eyes. The proposed actions laid out in EcoHealth are emergency medical steps to save this species."

"Within five years, the disease is likely to have spread across the entire geographic range of the species. We have a narrow window of opportunity to save this beautiful animal from a terrible fate. If we do not commit more resources right now, this species is likely to join the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger in a matter of just a few years," said Professor Hamish McCallum, Senior Scientist at the Devil Facial Tumour Disease program, University of Tasmania.

Survival of the species requires immediate transfer of some of the remaining disease-free wild animals into "insurance populations." Healthy devils have already been sent to zoos in mainland Australia, but it is also vital to establish or maintain isolated, disease-free wild populations. The most feasible way to do this is to transfer healthy devils to islands off the coast of Tasmania. A trial near Port Arthur suggests that it may be possible to suppress disease in semi-isolated peninsulas by removing infected devils. Longer-term research into possible resistance and vaccine development is also needed.

Experts agree that the future of the Tasmanian devil is facing extinction unless drastic steps are taken to preserve the species. Tasmanian devil declines could reverberate in the health and biodiversity of the natural environment. Already there are signs of increases in Tasmania of the feral predators that have lead to wide scale extinctions on the Australian mainland. Dr. Mary Pearl, President of Wildlife Trust and Associate Editor of EcoHealth, noted, "The case of Tasmanian devils is a reminder that an emerging infectious disease can lead to a species' extinction." Professor Andy Dobson, Wildlife Trust Board Member and author of the Editorial in the current issue of EcoHealth commented, "This is a case where we need 'sympathy for the devil.' We urgently need more actions like the recent donation of funds by Warner Bros., the makers of the "Taz" cartoon character, and I call on Hollywood to follow suit!"

Wildlife Trust and the Consortium for Conservation Medicine launched the field of Conservation Medicine over a decade ago in response to a series of health crises in the environment. The Tasmanian devil disease is the latest in a series of high-impact emerging diseases that the field has tackled, including SARS, H5N1 Avian influenza and Nipah virus. The Conservation Medicine approach champions collaboration among the best scientific minds and on-the-ground action to achieve rapid solutions to these crises. Dr. Bruce Wilcox, Editor-in-Chief of EcoHealth stated, "This crisis is exactly why we launched our journal five years ago. We focus on the connections between ecology and health, and here is an example where a disease threatens the imminent extinction of a keystone species."

About the Consortium for Conservation Medicine

The Consortium for Conservation Medicine (CCM), based at Wildlife Trust's New York headquarters, is a unique collaborative institution linking Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Tufts University School of Vet. Med. Center for Conservation Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Wildlife Trust and USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). The CCM is a think-tank for the origin, prediction and prevention of emerging diseases. The CCM enables scientists from a multitude of disciplines to collaborate on key issues of human, animal and environmental health and conservation. To learn more please go to www.conservationmedicine.org.

About Wildlife Trust

Wildlife Trust empowers local conservation scientists worldwide to protect nature and safeguard ecosystem and human health. Wildlife Trust is a conservation science innovator and leverages research expertise through strategic global alliances. Wildlife Trust pioneered the field of Conservation Medicine, a new discipline that addresses the link between ecological disruption of habitats and the effects on wildlife, livestock and human health.

Founded in 1971 by British naturalist and author Gerald Durrell, Wildlife Trust has built its reputation on 35 years of global research, education, training and experience. Research and conservation work in the United States include programs in the metropolitan New York area, Florida and along the coast of the Southeastern U.S.

Internationally, Wildlife Trust trains and supports a network of scientists around the world to save endangered species and their habitats and to protect the health of vital ecosystems. Wildlife Trust created the first egalitarian international network of science-based conservation organizations called the Wildlife Trust Alliance and is a founding partner organization of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, a unique think-tank of prestigious academic institutions.

Visit www.wildlifetrust.org to read more.

Media Contact:
Anthony Ramos, Wildlife Trust
Director for Marketing & Communications
ramos@wildlifetrust.org
212/380-4469

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