Last week someone decided to aid the opposite. Jasper, one of four devils, was found dead in a puddle of blood.
The Tasmanian devil is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. Although usually not exceeding a small dog in its size, the devil is known for its feisty character and aggressive behavior when it comes to hunting food or fighting for a partner. They are strong, able to climb trees and cross rivers, but they rely on their notorious screech and strong bite. The latter is known as one of the strongest among all mammals.
The Tasmanian devil is a scavenger; it can travel up to 10 miles to find carrion, and once found, it is typical for the devil to eat every piece a of carcass, including fur, bones and collars or tags if it happens to be a domestic animal.
This doesn’t mean that devils are destroying Tasmanian livestock. In fact, the species is useful as it only eats sick or dead animals and controls the populations of unwanted species. More importantly, the devil is a symbol and pride for Tasmania, which is the only place on Earth where the species still exists in the wild.
The year 1996 brought a great change — a cancer called the devil facial tumor disease was discovered among the devil’s population. Since then about 50 percent of the species has been lost. In some areas, that figure is closer to 90 percent. Unlike its natural enemies, the contagious cancer is something the Tasmanian devil cannot fight. Affected animals usually die in less than six months.
Great effort has been made by local authorities and conservation programs to save the species from extinction, including developing healthy insurance populations in captivity. One of the sites chosen for this purpose is the Albuquerque BioPark. The zoo worked toward this goal for a decade before four Tasmanian devils were brought here on a loan from the Healesville Sanctuary in Australia.
The quartet, popular among the BioPark’s guests, became a trio in the morning of Oct. 15 when zookeepers found Jasper dead in his enclosure, a piece of asphalt next to him. The cause of death: blunt force trauma to the head. Security cameras do not cover the area and there are currently no suspects.
Despite the irony of the event and the efforts made by conservationists on two continents, Jasper’s life could not be saved. Regardless of Jasper being saved from cancer by moving him halfway around the world, regardless of the Tasmanian devil having incredible vision, hearing and self-defense, an individual came in the middle of night to show that he or she was more powerful than any cancer or conservation effort.
As a result of the incident, Albuquerque BioPark officials have said that the zoo has added extra cameras and increased security measures. I understand efforts to protect our wildlife from profit-oriented poaching: the actions of oil industry, deforestation, overfishing, etc. But now we have to apply security measures against killing animals in our zoo exhibits? An animal whose pregnancy is claimed to result in up to 50 pea-like babies in their mother’s pouch.
We still have hope to see those babies. We still have hope that the remaining three devils are able to start an insurance population here, thus fulfilling the goal of transporting animals to another continent. We may even get another devil. According to a BioPark representative, there is a chance that the zoo will see another Tasmanian devil acclimated here in the future.
For now, anyone with any information about what happened with Jasper on the night of Oct. 15 is urged to call (505) 843-7867 and help the zoo solve the case. Personally, I find it better to call (505) 248-8500 and make a donation to the Albuquerque BioPark — to improve the lives of the animals we still have.
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Heleene Tambet is a member of the UNM Wilderness Alliance.
