OPINION: Island living may have been a death sentence for the Tassie tiger: is the devil next?

A recent study revealed that the Tasmanian tiger was already threatened by a small gene pool before it was wiped out by hunting - the same problem currently endangers Tasmanian devils, and other island species. Image: The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery We have all heard at some time or another that Australia has the worst record of mammal extinctions in history, with many of our unique and vulnerable critters succumbing only years after the first Europeans arrived here. However, the island of Tasmania stands out from this record: it has not lost a single mammal species since the demise of the Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine. The Ireland-sized island has long acted as a refuge for its platypuses, echidnas, devils, quolls, bandicoots, bettongs, potoroos and pademelons. Yet with current and future stresses – such as the introduction of the European fox, disease, urbanisation and climate change – it is critical that those charged...

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