SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia's Tasmanian devil will be listed as an endangered species this week as a result of a deadly and disfiguring cancer outbreak, the state government said Monday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080519/sc_afp/australiaanimalenvironmentdevil
 
The disease, a fast-growing head tumour which spreads over the marsupial's face and mouth and prevents it from eating, often killing it within months, has cut the island's devil population in the wild by as much as 60 percent.

A spokeswoman for Tasmania's Primary Industries Minister David Llewellyn said the small, black-haired animal would be listed as an endangered species by state officials on Wednesday.

The minister told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the animal would be upgraded from a vulnerable to an endangered species so that the "appropriate resources and effort" can be poured into protecting it.

The government has also backed a plan to build an "insurance population" of healthy Tasmanian devils at wildlife reserves, zoos and other protected areas.

"If required, these animals could be utilised to help re-establish Tasmanian devil numbers in the wild," Llewellyn said.

The facial tumour is extremely unusual in that it is a contagious cancer, spread from devil to devil by biting.

The devil is the world's largest marsupial carnivore and now only lives in Australia's southern island state.

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.

 
 
 

This is really sad to hear. I always considered them funny little animals.

But I`ve never heard of cancer being contagious. Its weird..

Kind regards,
Wilhelm

It's kind of scary, isn't it? It makes me wonder what's causing it. Is it caused by a virus?
If it's spread through a bite, can it spread to humans?

I've always had a soft spot for "Taz". I was really sorry to hear about this. I hope they can determine the cause and fix it.

I've heard that certain dog races have a tendency to get cancer or other diseases because there have been a lot of inbreeding in that specific race.

I can`t really see that happen with animals in the wild though..

Very scary indeed...

This is quite sad news and scary. I hope they find what's causing this. And it does make you wonder if it can spread to humans who have been bitten.

Now thats a scary thought...

It is scary.

Sad and scary at the same time.. I have a soft spot for animals regardless of species. I hope they will be able to cure or control the cancer. 

As relatively small as the species populations is, and given the confined environment, it might be a similar situation Wilhelm.

It's at least got to be a possibility.