Save the Devil

When people think of the Tasmanian Devil, they usually think of the Looney Toons character that spins around and slobbers. But when Tasmanian Devil is mentioned, public relations need to be mentioned along with Australian inhabitants because they are in dire need of it. In one of the more odd stories out there, the Devils have disease decimating their population. Scientist have been tracking the disease for the last 15 years. It produces boils on there face and tongue, which sadly continues to grow until the animal can no longer eat or drink. Originally it was thought that the disease was viral and was passed along when the Devils fought eat other or mates with their teeth. However, scientist recently discovered that the disease actually could be genetic. Prior to the emergence of the disease, the Devils were already in decline due to growing human population and environmental problems.

Another problem for the Tasmanian Devil is the lack of popularity when compared to other Australian wildlife, such as the Kangaroo or Koala. This is why the Devils are in desperate need of good public relations. And as of late, they have started to gain so public recognition as “the Aussie fighter”. So how would one in the World Wildlife Federation or other wildlife preservation groups save the Tasmanian Devil? Well first it would require a communications plan. You want to get Australians involved and it wouldn't be hard to tap into their national pride to do that. Australians, I would assume, would be more than willing to get involved in an attempt to save the animal that has been part of their national identity. The goal of the plan would be, in a nut shell, to save the Tasmanian Devil , so an objective would be to slow their population decline by 10% or raise awareness of their disease by 25%, for example. The public perception of the Devil as the “rat of Australia” needs to be addressed as well to combat negative publicity. A repositioning of the Devil in the minds of Australians would be the easiest way to change this thought. Either way, they need more help now than ever. What worries scientist the most, though, is the fact that the disease might translate to another host that is perfect for it, most disturbingly humans.