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Anti-aristarchus [soylentnews.org] writes:

Endangered by the transmissible nose cancer, conservationists are attempting to re-introduce Tasmanian devils to Australia, and their efforts have borne fruit. CBS News [cbsnews.com] reports:

Australia is experiencing a very unique baby boom. Tasmanian devils have just been born in the wild on the continent's mainland for the first time since they disappeared there about 3,000 years ago.

Last year, conservationists released 26 of the adult carnivorous marsupials into a sanctuary at Barrington Tops, north of Sydney. It marked the first step in their attempt to establish a sustainable population of the endangered species, which has been decimated by illness in its remaining habitat on the island of Tasmania.

They hoped their efforts, over a decade in the making, would achieve similar success as the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in the 1990s.

The problem seems to have been dingos eating their babies.

Tasmanian devils, which weigh up to 18 pounds full-grown and are not typically dangerous to humans, disappeared entirely from the Australian mainland after the introduction of dingoes, a type of wild dogs which hunt in packs.

The remaining population on the island state of Tasmania has been devastated by a contagious and fatal disease known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease, which first struck in the mid-1990s. It has killed around 90% of the population, and there are now fewer than 25,000 left.

"Having a population of devils away from the diseased landscape in Tasmania is crucial," Faulkner said. Conservationists are thrilled by the progress so far.

Not dangerous to humans? Cultural memory preserves the drop-bear, but forgets the "ankle-gnawer" that attacks from below. But on the other hand, every species has a right to an equal opportunity for survival. Video at the Beeb on YouTube [youtube.com], featuring many comments telling you not to panic and sell all your digital coinage.

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