Biologist Drew Lee from Save The Tassie Devil checks mouth of wild Tasmanian Devil for signs of Devil Facial Tumour Disease
Biologist Drew Lee from the Save The Tassie Devil program checks the mouth of a wild Tasmanian Devil for signs of Devil Facial Tumour Disease - it turns out to be free of the disease, it is released back into the wild. DFTD is contagious cancer that scientists are only beginning to understand, but has spread rapidly through the population, leaving the devil listed as endangered. In December 2009, it was announced that the disease may be related a peripheral nerve cell, called the Schwann cell, which has led some hopes for preserving the devil, at least in terms of quarantine insurance populations. The scientists are trapping and monitoring the animals here on the Tasman Peninsula as part of a programme to control the further spread of the disease and to create insurance populations.
Size: 5120px × 3413px
Location: Murdunna, Tasmania, Australia
Photo credit: © deadlyphoto.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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