Sydney Zoo Turns to Breeding to Save the Tasmanian Devil

Australia's Tasmanian devil population is on its knees. Decimated by cancer, the species' last hope may lie in breeding programs like that of Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

[Nick de Vos, Zoo Employee]:
"The devils in the wild are faced with a contagious cancer called 'devil facial tumor disease', which since its discovery in 1996 has actually seen 60% decline in devil sightings."

The disease is spread when the animals bite one another. It leaves facial tumors that prevent the animals from eating. Eventually, they starve to death and experts fear they face extinction within twenty years.

[Tony Britt-Lewis, Zoo Employee]:
"There's no immune response whatsoever by the devils that get it and so because it's so easily spread the population is dropping drastically."

Educating the public is central to the zoo's mission. The more people know about the devils' plight, they say, the better its chances of survival.