Valuable pioneer Tasmanian Devils, immunised against a deadly facial cancer, are being killed not by the disease - but by cars.
Just over a week after a group of 20 captive-bred and vaccinated devils were released into the wild, another two were found on Saturday road-killed in northern Tasmania, taking the total lost to four.
The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program manager, David Pemberton, described the losses as devastating, coming as they did among a critical group of devils that were to begin the first attempt at wild devil recovery.
"Both animals will undergo a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death," STDP team leader Sam Fox said. "But it appears their injuries are consistent with trauma from being struck by a motor vehicle."
The dead devils could be identified by implanted microchips. The latest dead animals were found on the Frankford Highway, which borders Narawntapu National Park, where they were released on September 25. The other two were found on nearby roads last Monday.
Devil Facial Tumour Disease has ravaged populations of the carnivore across Tasmania.
"Next to DFTD, road-kill is the greatest threat that devils face," Dr Fox said. "We urge all motorists to consider this when driving at night."
Some other released devils had been captured on cameras through the national park, and they appeared to be in good health, a government statement said.
