All of Australia’s native wildlife is precious, but just now the iconic Tasmanian Devil is even more precious than most.  As a species, it is in great peril due to a nasty–and deadly–facial tumour that is spreading throughout the population in Tasmania.  And they only exist in Tasmania.  Money is being spent, steps are being taken, but still they are dying.  Researchers have not officially (or at least publicly) identified the cause of the disease (The various powers-that-be of course deny that it has anything to do with the massive amounts of 1080 and related poisons that are heavily used in forestry practices–specifically to kill the wildlife so they won’t eat the seedlings they plant.)  But I digress.

My son, Adam (the truck-rolling City-Boy, making-a-tree-change-to-Tasmania son) discovered a wee baby Devil in his studio last night.  It fled before he could catch it but it was quite small and probably hasn’t gone far.  Devil Moms are notoriously bad mothers, so it could well be an orphan. If it can be rescued, and is disease-free, it will go to a reserve where they are trying to build up a population of Devils without the disease.  I’ll keep you posted if there are any developments.

Not This

Tasmanian Devil or Taz  –   outbackcooking.blogspot.com

But THIS!

See more great photos and information about Devils here.

I just thought you should know…         MM