If you saw a Tasmanian devil in the wild tomorrow, you’d probably be surprised by how small they are. People expect a whirling tornado of fur or a massive beast, but they’re basically just stocky, black-furred scavengers about the size of a small dog. They're loud. They're grumpy. And honestly, they’ve been through hell. For over two decades, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program has been the only thing standing between these unique marsupials and total extinction. It isn't just a catchy name for a charity; it’s a massive, multi-government initiative that started back in 2003 when everyone realized that a weird, contagious cancer was wiping out the population at a terrifying speed.
The Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). It sounds like something out of a horror movie. It spreads when they bite each other during social feeding or mating, which, if you know anything about devils, is basically all they do. They’re aggressive. They scream. They snap. And because their immune systems are so genetically similar, their bodies don’t recognize the cancer cells as "foreign." The tumors grow, they can't eat, and within months, they’re gone. It’s brutal.
What the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is actually doing
Most people think "conservation" just means putting animals in a zoo and hoping for the best. That’s not what’s happening here. The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program—which is a partnership between the Tasmanian and Australian Governments—runs on a strategy that is constantly shifting because the science keeps changing.
In the beginning, the goal was simple: isolation. They created "Insurance Populations."
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Basically, they took healthy devils and put them on islands like Maria Island or in huge, fenced enclosures on the mainland. The idea was that if every single devil in the Tasmanian wild died, we’d still have a "clean" group to start over with. It worked. The Maria Island population boomed. But then a new problem popped up. When you take a wild animal and put it in a safe space with free food, it starts to lose its "wildness." They get a bit lazy. Their hunting skills dull. So, the program had to pivot to "wild training" and carefully managed releases to make sure these insurance devils didn't just become fluffy pets.
The Genetic Puzzle
Conservation is basically a high-stakes game of Tinder, but for DNA. If you have a small group of animals, you run into inbreeding fast.
The program uses something called the "Metapopulation" model. Dr. Carolyn Hogg and the team at the University of Sydney have been instrumental in this. They track the genetics of almost every devil in the program to ensure that when they move a male from a zoo in Sydney to a wild release site in Tasmania, he’s providing the specific genetic diversity that local group needs. It’s meticulously planned. If they mess up the genetics, the whole species becomes even more vulnerable to the next disease that comes along. And there is a next disease—DFTD2 was discovered in 2014. It’s a different strain, making the work of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program twice as hard.
Why things look better than they did five years ago
For a long time, the news was just depressing. 80% of the population gone. Entire regions silent.
But lately? Things are... okay? Maybe even good. We are seeing something called "rapid evolution." Some wild devils are actually developing immune responses to the tumors. Their bodies are starting to fight back. This is huge. The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program monitors these "resistant" devils closely. Instead of just trying to "fix" the problem with vaccines (which they are also working on, by the way), scientists are now looking at how to help the devils' own evolution along.
There's also the "WildArk" and "Aussie Ark" involvement. These private organizations work alongside the government program. In 2020, they did something massive: they released devils into a large sanctuary in New South Wales. It was the first time devils had been on the Australian mainland in about 3,000 years.
Why does that matter?
Because devils are apex predators. When they’re around, they keep feral cats and foxes in check. By saving the devil, the program is actually saving dozens of other smaller species like bandicoots and potoroos that get eaten by invasive cats. It’s an ecosystem play.
The messy reality of roadkill and fences
We can't talk about the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program without talking about cars. Honestly, roadkill is one of the biggest threats right now. In some areas, more devils die on the road than from the cancer.
It’s a frustrating problem. You spend thousands of dollars to breed a healthy devil, you vaccinate it, you track its genetics, you release it into the wild, and then—bam. A truck hits it on the Tasman Highway.
The program has tried everything.
- Virtual fences that beep when headlights approach.
- Huge signs.
- Public awareness campaigns.
- Rumble strips.
The results are mixed. Some people ignore the signs. Some people speed. It shows that conservation isn't just about biology; it's about human behavior. If we can't get people to slow down at night, all the lab-grown vaccines in the world won't save the species.
Is the vaccine working?
There's been a lot of talk about a "cure." Let's be real: there is no magic pill. But researchers at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research have made massive strides. They’ve developed an immunotherapy that helps the devil's immune system "see" the cancer.
In trials, some devils have actually seen their tumors shrink and disappear.
But vaccinating a wild population is a nightmare. You have to catch them, jab them, and often give them boosters. It’s expensive and slow. The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program uses these vaccines strategically, mostly in "buffer zones" where they’re trying to stop the disease from spreading into the few remaining disease-free corners of the state, like the far Northwest.
Misconceptions about "The Devil"
People think the program is failing because the numbers aren't bouncing back to the 1990s levels. That’s a misunderstanding of how nature works. We might never see 150,000 devils in Tasmania again.
What the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is aiming for is "functional recovery." They want a population that is stable enough to survive the disease without human intervention. We aren't there yet, but we are a lot closer than we were in 2010.
Another weird myth? That the devils are dangerous to people.
They aren't. They’re shy. If you see one, it will probably run away or sit very still and hiss. They aren't going to hunt your dog or attack your kids. They want your roadkill leftovers and to be left alone in the scrub. The "Devil" name really did them a disservice in the PR department for a century, but the program has done a great job of re-branding them as the essential "bush cleaners" they are.
How you actually help (Beyond just donating)
If you're reading this and thinking, "Cool, but what am I supposed to do about a sick marsupial in Australia?"—there are actually practical steps.
First, if you're ever driving in Tasmania, slow down at night. That is the single most impactful thing a regular person can do. Most devil activity happens between dusk and dawn. If you're going 80km/h instead of 100km/h, you have a much better chance of seeing those glowing eyes in the brush.
Second, support the "Devil Rewards" or similar citizen science initiatives. If you see a devil (dead or alive) in Tasmania, reporting it to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program or using apps like iNaturalist provides vital data. Scientists can't be everywhere. They rely on "grey literature" and public sightings to map where the disease is moving.
Third, look into the Ambassador program. Zoos around the world—from San Diego to Copenhagen—participate in the program. Visiting these accredited institutions helps fund the research happening on the ground in Hobart.
The Path Forward
The program is moving into a "maintenance" phase. This doesn't mean the work is done. It means the focus is shifting from "emergency rescue" to "long-term coexistence."
We have to accept that DFTD is probably here to stay. It’s part of the landscape now. The goal of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is to ensure the devil is tough enough, genetically diverse enough, and well-managed enough to live alongside it.
It’s a story of persistence. It’s about scientists who spend their nights in the freezing Tasmanian rain checking traps, and donors who keep the lights on in the labs. It’s one of the few examples of a government seeing an extinction crisis and actually putting the long-term resources in place to stop it.
Actionable Steps for Supporters
- Check the Official Source: Always verify news through the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) official site. They release annual reports that cut through the media hype.
- Citizen Science: If you live in or visit Tasmania, download the Roadkill TAS app. Data on where animals are being hit helps the program decide where to install expensive mitigation tech like virtual fencing.
- Be a Conscious Tourist: If you go to a wildlife park, ask if they are part of the official STDP Insurance Population. This ensures your ticket money is supporting actual conservation, not just a display.
- Spread the Genetic Reality: Help combat the "it's a lost cause" narrative. Remind people that the devils are evolving and that "Insurance Populations" have successfully prevented extinction.
The situation isn't perfect, but the Tasmanian devil is still here. That, in itself, is a massive win for the program.