An exciting day yesterday, with the announcement by NSW Shadow Minister for the Environment, Catherine Cusack announcing support for the Devil Ark program.
Ms Cusack pledged that an O’Farrell Government would provide $600,000 funding ($150,000 per annum for 4 years) to support the ongoing expansion of the Barrington Tops project. “Sadly the iconic Tasmanian Devil is experiencing a cataclysmic event, with 80% of its population already wiped out. Thousands of Devils are dying of painful facial cancer as it sweeps across Tasmania. Despite the frantic efforts by scientists there is no viable vaccine or cure on the horizon. ‘Devil Ark’ is meeting the challenge by developing a large component of the “insurance population” on the disease free Australian mainland. This is conservation at its most fundamental level,” Ms Cusack said. The Shadow Minister’s televised announcement can be viewed at: http://www.nbntv.com.au/index.php/2011/03/21/tassie-devils-cast-their-vote/ . This funding will contribute meaningfully to the challenge of Devil Ark, which aims to hold 360 Tasmanian devils by 2016, with scope to increase that population to 1,000 devils by 2020 if so directed by the overarching Tasmania-based Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.
