SYDNEY — Tasmanian devils have been born in the wild on Australia’s mainland 3,000 years after the marsupials disappeared from the continent, conservation groups said Tuesday, raising hopes that a major rewilding effort could succeed. “We had been watching them from afar until it was time to step in and confirm the birth of our first wild joeys (babies). Tasmanian devils, which weigh up to 8 kilograms (18 pounds) and have a black or brown coat, prey on other native animals or scavenge carcasses but are typically not dangerous to humans. It is estimated that fewer than 25,000 Tasmanian devils still live in the wild, down from as many as 150,000 before the mysterious, fatal disease first struck in the mid-1990s. “This doesn’t just bode well for this endangered species, but also for the many other endangered species that can be saved if we rewild Australia, the country with the world’s worst mammal extinction rate,” he said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 25, 2021 07:07 UTC