Tasmanian Devils Return to Australia Mainland after 3,000 Years
2020-10-12
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1Tasmanian devils have been returned to the Australian mainland 3,000 years after the animals died off there.
2The mainland population is believed to have been partly killed off by a group of dingoes - wild dogs native to the continent.
3Experts say other causes of extinction could include a rise in the native human population and extremely dry weather.
4Tasmanian devils are meat-eating marsupials.
5Marsupials are mammals that reproduce differently from other animals.
6Most are born when they are just embryos and still developing.
7The baby animals take shelter for several months in a pouch on their mother's body as they develop and grow.
8Two of Australia's most common mammals, the kangaroo and the koala, are marsupials.
9Tasmanian devils are generally black or brown in color and can weigh up to 8 kilograms.
10Experts say while devils are not dangerous to people or farm animals, they will defend themselves if attacked and can cause serious injury.
11An estimated 20,000 wild devils live on the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian state.
12But the animals have not lived on the mainland for about 3,000 years.
13There used to be a lot more devils in Tasmania, with wildlife experts estimating the population to be as large as 140,000 at one time.
14But a deadly disease struck the devils in the 1990s, reducing their number to as few as 20,000.
15The drop in numbers led to Australian efforts to protect the devils.
16Wildlife activists have worked for years to strengthen the population.
17They argue that devils are needed in the environment because they can keep more destructive creatures - like foxes and wild cats - under control.
18They say this, in turn, helps protect the environment as a whole.
19Conservation groups recently announced that 11 of the animals were released on the Australian mainland last month.
20Another release happened in July.
21It marked the first time the marsupials have been released into a protected wild environment on the mainland.
22The 11 most recently released devils began exploring their new home once they were let go at a large wildlife refuge in New South Wales state.
23Tim Faulkner is president of a conservation group called Aussie Ark.
24He said the "historic" releases were the first steps in a project much like the move to return wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in the 1990s.
25Faulkner said it was "incredible and surreal" to have reached the goal after 16 years of work.
26The efforts included establishing the largest Tasmanian devil mating program on the mainland.
27Aussie Ark and other groups plan to release 20 more devils next year, and another 20 the following year.
28Faulkner said conservationists hope the project will create an "insurance population" against the disease that crushed Tasmania's devil population.
29The disease, which causes cancerous tumors on the animal's face, has so far proved to be untreatable.
30Some experts question whether the project will have the full desired effect on the environment.
31Nick Mooney is a conservationist who has worked with Tasmanian devils for about 40 years.
32He told The Associated Press that wild cats are likely to return to hunting for food with increased competition from the devils.
33"There is an argument that by putting devils into a situation where you stop other (meat-eaters) scavenging is that those animals, like cats and foxes, will simply start hunting. You could actually make a conservation problem where it didn't exist before," Mooney said.
34The devils released this year and others in coming years will not be going into the wild just yet. Instead they will receive extra food.
35Some devils will be connected to devices that report their movements.
36Animal experts will be watching to learn how these creatures adapt to their new environment.
37I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Tasmanian devils have been returned to the Australian mainland 3,000 years after the animals died off there. 2The mainland population is believed to have been partly killed off by a group of dingoes - wild dogs native to the continent. Experts say other causes of extinction could include a rise in the native human population and extremely dry weather. 3Tasmanian devils are meat-eating marsupials. Marsupials are mammals that reproduce differently from other animals. Most are born when they are just embryos and still developing. The baby animals take shelter for several months in a pouch on their mother's body as they develop and grow. 4Two of Australia's most common mammals, the kangaroo and the koala, are marsupials. 5Tasmanian devils are generally black or brown in color and can weigh up to 8 kilograms. Experts say while devils are not dangerous to people or farm animals, they will defend themselves if attacked and can cause serious injury. 6An estimated 20,000 wild devils live on the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian state. But the animals have not lived on the mainland for about 3,000 years. 7There used to be a lot more devils in Tasmania, with wildlife experts estimating the population to be as large as 140,000 at one time. But a deadly disease struck the devils in the 1990s, reducing their number to as few as 20,000. 8The drop in numbers led to Australian efforts to protect the devils. Wildlife activists have worked for years to strengthen the population. They argue that devils are needed in the environment because they can keep more destructive creatures - like foxes and wild cats - under control. They say this, in turn, helps protect the environment as a whole. 9Conservation groups recently announced that 11 of the animals were released on the Australian mainland last month. Another release happened in July. It marked the first time the marsupials have been released into a protected wild environment on the mainland. 10The 11 most recently released devils began exploring their new home once they were let go at a large wildlife refuge in New South Wales state. 11Tim Faulkner is president of a conservation group called Aussie Ark. He said the "historic" releases were the first steps in a project much like the move to return wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in the 1990s. 12Faulkner said it was "incredible and surreal" to have reached the goal after 16 years of work. The efforts included establishing the largest Tasmanian devil mating program on the mainland. 13Aussie Ark and other groups plan to release 20 more devils next year, and another 20 the following year. 14Faulkner said conservationists hope the project will create an "insurance population" against the disease that crushed Tasmania's devil population. The disease, which causes cancerous tumors on the animal's face, has so far proved to be untreatable. 15Some experts question whether the project will have the full desired effect on the environment. 16Nick Mooney is a conservationist who has worked with Tasmanian devils for about 40 years. He told The Associated Press that wild cats are likely to return to hunting for food with increased competition from the devils. 17"There is an argument that by putting devils into a situation where you stop other (meat-eaters) scavenging is that those animals, like cats and foxes, will simply start hunting. You could actually make a conservation problem where it didn't exist before," Mooney said. 18The devils released this year and others in coming years will not be going into the wild just yet. Instead they will receive extra food. Some devils will be connected to devices that report their movements. Animal experts will be watching to learn how these creatures adapt to their new environment. 19I'm Bryan Lynn. 20The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for Learning English. was the editor. 21We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 22_______________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24extinction - n. the state or situation that results when something, such as a plant or animal species, has died out completely 25mammal - n. an animal that feeds its babies on milk from its body 26pouch - n. a pocket of skin on the stomachs of some female animals (such as kangaroos and koalas) that is used to carry young 27conservation - n. the protection of plants and animals and natural areas 28refuge - n. a place that provides protection or shelter 29surreal - adj. very strange or unusual 30insurance - n. a guarantee against something happening 31scavenge - v. the feeding by wild animals on the flesh of dead decaying animals 32adapt - v. to change in order to fit in with different conditions or new environments