Tasmanian devils kill thousands of penguins on Australian island

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The Tasmanian Devil is the world's largest living predator

Photo: Dave Hunt / dpa

Usually the news that the Tasmanian Devil is spreading in an area of ​​Australia is good.

The marsupial is a highly endangered species, and animal rights activists have been fighting for their preservation for years.

It was only recently that the news was cheered that for the first time in 3000 years there are young animals on the Australian mainland.

Now, however, the robbery are causing negative headlines: A group of devils that had been relocated to a small island has now attacked the native birds there.

The bird protection organization "Bird Life Tasmania" describes a "catastrophic" development on the island.

The marsupials had completely wiped out a population of around 6,000 little penguins, according to a report in the newspaper "The Australian".

"Every time people knowingly or accidentally introduced mammals to the islands of Oceania, the result was the same - a disaster for one or more bird species," Eric Woehler, chairman of Bird Life Tasmania, is quoted as saying.

Losing 3,000 breeding pairs of penguins from an "island that is a national park and should be a retreat for this species" is a tough blow, says Woehler.

In 2012 and 2013, a total of 28 Tasmanian devils were relocated to Maria Island, a small island east of Tasmania, and they multiplied in the following years.

They were supposed to create some sort of reserve when a contagious cancer spread among the devils in Tasmania.

Tasmania was until recently the only habitat for marsupials.

The disease threatened their survival in the wild.

In late 2020, studies showed that the devils had gradually learned to live with and survive the plague.

Shortly afterwards the news of the successful settlement on the Australian mainland followed.

So obviously things are looking up for the Tasmanian Devil.

However, this does not mean anything good for the island birds.

"Penguins face great dangers in Australia," said Eric Woehler from Bird Life to the Guardian.

People, pets and predators made life difficult for them.

"Islands like Maria Island are very important to the penguins because there is not the same range of hazards."

A study of Maria Island published last year found that Tasmanian devils hunt cats and possums, which are also threats to birds.

However, because of their size and ability to dig, they pose an even greater threat to ground-nesting birds than other predators.

According to the study, the population of shearwaters has also decreased significantly since the devils settled.

The bird protection organization is now calling for the marsupials to be removed from the island.

"There are now several reserve populations in Tasmania and mainland Australia," said Woehler.

"Removing one of these would have no adverse consequences for the devils."

There are no more precise statements on this from Tasmanian government circles.

Maria Island is an important part of the animal welfare program to save the Tasmanian Devils.

You watch this continuously, if necessary it would be adjusted, "The Australian" quotes a government spokesman.

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