Tasmanian Government Media Release - 12 June 2008
The State Government's commitment to the ongoing survival of the Tasmanian devil in the wild has been highlighted with more than $12 million allocated in today's budget to saving the Tasmanian devil.
The funding will provide the Tasmanian Devil Program with a significant base to continue its major conservation work. Through the Government program established five years ago there has been significfant progress achieved.
The work of DPIW's scientific and wildlife staff and partnerships that have been formed with the University of Tasmania, the University of Sydney, zoos, wildlife parks and other institutions has helped unravel some of the mysteries of this deadly cancer. Because of the knowledge that has been obtained from this research, it has been possible to establish insurance populations, implement disease suppression work and undertake complex investigations into the immune systems of devils. However, it is recognised that there are no easy solutions to the disease threat our wild devils are facing.
Today's budget funding will enable the continuation of efforts to mitigate the impact of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease on one of Tasmania's iconic animals. The State Government funding will provide a range of opportunities for the program to investigate, when combined with federal government funding of $10 million over the next five years. The State Government funding has been provided to continue efforts to mitigate the impact of the DFTD on existing Tasmanian devil populations.
