Tasmanian devils reintroduced to Australia after 3,000 years

Wildlife conservation organisation Aussie Ark has released 11 Tasmanian devils in a wildlife sanctuary north of Sydney, New South Wales, 3,000 years after the species became extinct there.

‘Not only is this the reintroduction of one of Australia’s beloved animals, but of an animal that will engineer the entire environment around it, restoring and rebalancing our forest ecology after centuries of devastation from introduced foxes and cats and other invasive predators,’ said Tim Faulkner, president of Aussie Ark according to CNN.

The species went extinct in mainland Australia about 500 years ago due to a contagious form of cancer known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD).

‘The devil is in the details, and mainland Australia was missing quite an important detail: Tasmanian Devils! But after nearly 3,000 years, the devils have returned! Aussie Ark, with the support of Global Wildlife Conservation and WildArk, has released 26 [including 15 released earlier in a trial] Tasmanian Devils to the Barrington Tops in New South Wales on mainland Australia, with the helping hands of Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky,’ WildArk said on YouTube.

‘The 400-hectare sanctuary (nearly 1,000 acres) is heavenly for the carnivorous marsupials. It’s fenced and free of invasive predators, which will allow the devils to thrive as native apex predators. The #DevilComeback is the first step in returning 7 cornerstone species back to the wild to bring balance back to Australia’s ecosystem.’