How is DFTD affecting the Tasmanian devil population?

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) is a contagious cancer with 100% fatality that has devastated the wild Tasmanian devil population, and if left unchecked DFTD is likely to drive this carnivorous marsupial to extinction.

The disease originated from a single cell line and then spread amongst individuals due to the unique Tasmanian devil mating behaviour, where males aggressively bite each other’s faces and neck during mating season, causing wounds that provide an opening for cancer cells to spread. As it stands DFTD has infected over 90% of the entire wild population and has now been spreading for over twenty years without showing any signs of slowing down.