Tasmanian Devil Thought Immune To Epidemic Facial Cancer Euthanized After Tumors Develop - BBC

[hatrack]

A Tasmanian Devil who scientists hoped was immune to a facial cancer that threatens his species has been euthanised after developing tumours. The marsupial, named Cedric, was believed to have a natural immunity to the disease that he could pass on to future generations.

But two weeks ago researchers found untreatable tumours. is death is a blow to scientists, who say Tasmanian Devils could be extinct in the wild within 20 years. Animals with the facial cancer become so consumed by the disease they can no longer eat or see, and eventually die of starvation.
'Difficult task'

Cedric was the first Tasmanian Devil to show signs of immunity to the disfiguring disease, which has wiped out half the devil population in Tasmania. He and his half-brother Clinky - who both came from a health devil population - were injected with facial cancer cells in 2007.

Clinky developed the cancer, but Cedric did not - sparking hopes that he had an immunity that could help scientists develop a vaccine.

EDIT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11150532

[BrklynLiberal]

1. sad......

[hedgehog]

2. Bizarre as it seems, I think there is a chance to save the species.

1. Develop a healthy stock of animals in captivity.

2. wait for all the wild animals to die of the cancer.

3. Find the virus reservoir and destroy it.

4. When the virus is eliminated, start releasing animals back into the wild.

It's analogous to what happens when a family's pets are wiped out by distemper or feline leukemia.

On edit: looking at some of the other info on this, it may be that there is no virus involved at all. It may be that a single devil developed this cancer spontaneously and that the animals have been more or less injecting themselves with cancer cells through their normal biting behavior.