Little Devils Day
Black and White Day
Are you a little devil?
"Aussie" devils
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Brisbane schoolgirl Ceilidh Bishop has made it her mission to help save the Tasmanian devil after visiting one of our insurance populations at Queensland’s Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, in January 2008.
One of Ceilidh’s fundraising ideas was to hold a ‘Little Devils Day’ at her school. The day was held on 30 May 2008. Read the full story on our Supporters page.
More than 200 schools and businesses (including three schools from the United States) registered for the second annual Black and White Day on May 16, 2008.
Read all about it on our Supporters page.
You'll find more information about Black and White Day on Nature Nic's website www.naturenic.com.au
This was the question asked of children across Tasmania by nine-year-old Nature Nic (as Nic Bonnitcha prefers to be known) - the Hobart schoolboy who raised $10,604 in 2007 with the inaugural ‘Black and White’ day. Fourteen of the cutest responses received by Nic are featured on a Black and White calendar (Nic’s theme), which was launched in November, 2007.
“I’m a little devil because my freckles look like whiskers,” said one of our awesome Tassie kids. “I am a Tassie devil because I am unique and Tasmanian,” replied another.
The idea behind the calendar, Nic said, was to make children aware of the plight of their Tasmania devil. “I want every child to know that they can make a difference,” he said. “Even the smallest things can help to save the Tassie devil.”
Nic said he’s especially worried that the Tasmanian devil will become extinct, like the Tasmanian tiger. “Both of these animals have ‘Tasmanian’ in their name because they’re special to us,” he said. “But I don’t want to have to tell my kids one day that the devil is extinct, just like the Tiger, and that I didn’t do anything to try to help save it.
“If we lose this animal – and the devil will die, if we don’t do anything – then there won’t be anything that makes Tasmania special.”
Tasmanian photographer Sarah Ryan donated her expertise to produce the calendar, which can be purchased for $10 at all State, Private and Catholic schools, as well as select Newsagents. All funds raised will go to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.
For more information, go to Nic’s website: www.naturenic.com.au
* Is your school taking part in Black and White Day on Friday May 16, 2008? Learn more about Nature Nic’s inaugural Black and White Day in 2007.
Children from more than 370 Australian schools have created educational projects that highlight the plight of the Tasmanian devil.
“These marvelous projects are a clear reminder that the Tasmanian devil belongs to all Australians,” said Dr Steve Smith, Manager of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.
The project boards were entries in the Westfield ‘Shop for your school – Save the Tasmanian Devil’ competition. The winning entry, from St Mary and St Mina’s Coptic Orthodox College in Bexley, NSW, impressed the judges with outstanding attention to detail, pop-up features, creative artwork and interactive information cards. The talented students responsible for the masterpiece - Merna, Nic, Andro, Mark and Mina - accompanied by teacher Lillian Wassef, came face to face with a devil when they were flown to Tasmania in November, 2007. Tourism Tasmania also provided the winners with a trip to Port Arthur, as well as a visit to Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory.
“When we started this project, we didn’t realise how great the threat was to the Tasmanian devil, and the impact of the disease,” Lillian said during their visit. “But we’ve all learnt so much.
“Coming from a southern-Sydney suburb, some of the students hadn’t even seen a wallaby in the wild. So meeting a devil first hand was an incredible experience for them – especially when we heard its cry for the first time. We’d heard it before on the website, but not even that prepared us for the screech it made.”
More than 124,927 students studied the Tasmanian devil through this competition. Students researched and prepared project boards on the Devil Facial Tumour Disease using educational reference material co-produced by Tourism Tasmania and the Department of Primary Industries and Water. The schools that produced the winning entry at each Westfield Shopping Centre were awarded prize packages that included Tasmanian reading material and DVDs. A selection of entries was also displayed at 13 Westfield Shopping Centres across Australia.
Interested in volunteering?
As well as donating money you might be able to volunteer to help save the Tasmanian devil.
Information sites and databases
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Educational resources for students
The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water contains a great deal of information on the Tasmanian devil and the Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease. -
Tasmanian devil website for kids
The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water website also hosts a Tassie devil website designed especially for school children. Special features include devil facts, videos, sound recordings, interactive games and activities. -
Species profile and threat database: Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
Listing of the Tasmanian Devil as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 on the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage. -
Tasmanian devil information database
Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water's searchable database of scholarly papers and general media resources relating to the Tasmanian devil. -
Research grants and scholarships
The University of Tasmania, through the Tasmanian Wildlife Research Advisory Committee (TWRAC), allocates scholarships and grants for research into all aspects of the Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease. These awards are funded from public donations received through the Tasmanian Devil Appeal by the UTAS Foundation and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. They support key research areas approved by the Devil Facial Tumour Disease Steering Committee (formed after the October 2003 workshop of scientists and animal health experts from institutions and organisations throughout Australia).
Research grants valued at up to $25 000 each are available to assist with projects endorsed by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Scholarships are available to honours and postgraduate students at UTAS undertaking research related to TDFTD. International students are eligible to apply.
Researchers looking into a possible diagnostic test for the Devil disease are among this year’s grant recipients from the Tasmanian Wildlife Research Advisory Committee (TWRAC), at the University of Tasmania. Drs Breadmore, Hilder and Shellie were allocated a $4,000 Eric Guiler Research Grant for their exciting new work into a pre-clinical diagnosis of DFTD. This could be the precursor to a much larger post-doctoral study, if its results are promising. Dr Rodrigo Hamede was also an Eric Guiler Research Grant recipient. He was allocated $5,000 to assist with his PhD study into epidemiology and the transmission dynamics of DFTD.
Two PhD students, Nick Beeton and Alex Kreiss, have been allocated Qantas Tasmanian Devil Research Scholarships. Alex is studying the immune responses of the Tasmanian devil, while Nick is looking at Tasmanian devil population and disease modelling.
