Oh no!
This is terrible news.
A highly lethal and contagious cancer that has spread rapidly between the Tasmanian devil has killed nearly 90% of the species, leaving it severely endangered.
The cancer, devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) fills the animal’s mouth with tumors, causing it to starve to death and is easily transmitted between the animals because they bite each other while fighting and mating.
So sad, but AT LEAST we aren’t to blame this time.
These creatures are so cute and make great cartoon characters! We’d hate to see them go extinct.
Luckily, sanctuaries are being built to isolate disease-free devils, in the hopes of breeding them and then releasing the animal back to the wild in the future.
One of the newest sanctuaries is Devil Ark, a 500-hectare conservation site in Australia, holds 1,000 of the devils, but needs to raise money to stay open.
If you’re looking to contribute to great a cause for animals, maybe consider donating to this program.
[Image via Getty Images.]