Tasmanian Devils are suffering, laid low by the Devil Facial Tumour Disease which is wiping them out in their homeland. The news that Tasmanian Devils have been born in Denmark is fantastic news!
The Examiner reports:
TWO Tasmanian devils which joined Princess Mary in Denmark have become the first to breed successfully in the northern hemisphere. The Copenhagen Zoo says that at least five joeys are being carried in the pouches of their two females.The Mercury quotes zoo staff as saying, "They are now 10 weeks old and 5cm long. It is fantastic news for us and for the zoo world as such." Perth Now says, "The young devils, currently about the size of a walnut, were found when the females were pouch-checked by zoo staff last week. Curator Flemming Nielsen said three were spotted in one female and another two in the other."
The photo at the top of the post is from Wikipedia.
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I hadn't heard of the illness. how awful, but I wish the new Danish babies well.
ReplyDeleteit is a devastating disease. every once in a while i'll hear word of a treatment or prevention breakthrough, but it may be too late by the time something workable comes along. so sad
DeleteDidn't know about the problem in the wild but it is good to know that they are reproducing in captivity. Not that I'm fond of keeping animals in captivity but sometimes that's about all we have left.
ReplyDeleteDarla
i'm very excited about this! yes, it'd be great if they were doing well in the wild, but i agree that zoos are a blessing at times. i'm glad zoos seem to be trying to give the animals more natural environments these days.
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