Article 11- Saving the Tasmanian Devil
Scientists from around the world are coming together to save the Tasmanian Devil. A contagious cancer is threatening to wipe out the entire population of the species, whose numbers are declining at a rapid rate due to the illness. One possible solution is gathering all the ones that are not infected and isolating them on an island and allowing them to reproduce in a cancer-free environment. Unfortunately, the scientists acknowledge that both time and the odds are against them. Almost 84 percent of the Tasmanian devil population has been killed by the extremely rare and almost incurable type of facial tumor. What vexes scientists more than anything is the contagious nature of the cancer, an attribute not typically associated with the disease. Aside from being resistant to treatment, the cancer is also evolving rapidly, which has created an even larger headache for researchers already doing everything they can to save the Tasmanian devil. Up until a few years ago, scientists thought they were dealing with a stable disease. More recently, however, research teams have unmasked startling evidence showing that the Tasmanian cancer cells swiftly infiltrate and dismantle healthy cells and use their proteins to travel freely. What's worse: The toxic cells are also highly self-camouflaging, making them difficult for animals' immune systems to fend off.
I chose this article because this is one of the topics we went over in APES. It is also scary to think that an entire species can wipe out over this type of disease and the effects of what if the animal does disappear, what is the impact on the environment? Plus, could this disease have been prevented and what steps do we have to take now. In another article, I read it talks about how scientists determine which species to save and which one is more significant to save. So the Tasmanian Devil must be important to the environment and it plays a big role. The price to save them though is expensive, $11 million which is a stiff price to pay when Australia is already burdened with an expected $290 million bill to rescue 21 other endangered species on its mainland and islands.
I chose this article because this is one of the topics we went over in APES. It is also scary to think that an entire species can wipe out over this type of disease and the effects of what if the animal does disappear, what is the impact on the environment? Plus, could this disease have been prevented and what steps do we have to take now. In another article, I read it talks about how scientists determine which species to save and which one is more significant to save. So the Tasmanian Devil must be important to the environment and it plays a big role. The price to save them though is expensive, $11 million which is a stiff price to pay when Australia is already burdened with an expected $290 million bill to rescue 21 other endangered species on its mainland and islands.