Conservation Project Goes Awry as Tasmanian Devils Start Killing Penguins
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Who, me? (Photo: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images, Getty Images)
A project established to conserve Tasmanian devils has backfired, as the carnivorous marsupials have been a little too successful in their new habitat. They’ve killed scores of seabirds since their arrival nearly a decade ago, according to the local branch of the Birdlife conservation organisation.
The devils were brought to Maria Island, just a few miles off the Tasmanian coast, in 2012, in an attempt to protect the animals from the contagious facial cancer that was threatening the species. At the time, the Tasmanian government released multiplereports mentioning the possibility of harm to the shorebird colonies, which included little penguins (