Baby Tasmanian Devils Born on the Australian Mainland Boost a Species’ Comeback

The Tasmanian devil, the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial, has had a rough few decades. A contagious and fatal illness called Devil Facial Tumor Disease, which emerged about twenty years ago, wiped out roughly ninety percent of wild devils in parts of their range. With the species in steep decline, conservationists worried that this iconic Australian animal could disappear from the wild entirely. That is why the news from June 2025 felt so encouraging.

The conservation group Aussie Ark announced that at least ten Tasmanian devil joeys had been born during the breeding season at its sanctuary in northern New South Wales, with additional joeys expected and at least one more female possibly pregnant. The births are part of a long-running effort to rebuild a healthy, disease-free “insurance population” — a safety net of animals that can repopulate the wild if disease continues to ravage existing groups. Aussie Ark’s operations manager described the joy of checking a mother’s pouch and seeing tiny devils emerge.

“A contagious and fatal illness called Devil Facial Tumor Disease, which emerged about twenty years ago, wiped out roughly ninety percent of wild devils in parts of their range.”

The work goes beyond simply breeding animals in safe enclosures. Tasmanian devils have been returned to mainland Australia for the first time in thousands of years, released into large fenced sanctuaries where they can live, hunt, and breed much as they would in the wild. Each new generation of joeys strengthens the genetic diversity and resilience of the insurance population, improving the odds that devils can one day thrive again across a wider landscape.

Scientists are also working on longer-term solutions to the disease itself, including research into an edible vaccine that could one day protect wild devils. For now, every healthy joey represents a small but meaningful victory. The Tasmanian devil’s distinctive screech and feisty character have made it a beloved symbol of Australia’s wild places, and the steady arrival of new pouch young offers real hope that this remarkable marsupial will continue to play its part in the ecosystem for generations to come.