Biologist Drew Lee from Save The Tassie Devil checks mouth of wild Tasmanian Devil for signs of Devil Facial Tumour Disease
Scientists Drew Lee & Cameron Brooke from the Save The Tassie Devil program with a wild Tasmanian Devil that has been trapped on the Forestier Peninsula, Tasmania. Lee is checking the animal for signs of Devil Facial Tumour Disease - it turns out to be free of the disease, and is released back into the wild. His colleague Cameron Brooke looks on. 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 Forestier Peninsula as part of a programme to control the further spread of the disease and to create insurance populations.
Size: 3744px × 5616px
Location: Murdunna, Tasmania, Australia
Photo credit: © deadlyphoto.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: australia, australian, biologist, brooke, cameron, catch, catching, de, devil, dftd, diable, disease, drew, facial, forestier, harrisi, lee, marsupial, nature, peninsula, program, sarcophilus, save, scientist, scientists, tasman, tasmania, tasmanian, tasmanie, tassie, tazmania, tazzie, trap, trapping, tumour, wildlife
