NEWS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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| February 12, 2010 | |
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Cheryl Piropato, Education Director 260-427-6803 |
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Six years after his death, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Tasmanian devil contributes to scientific breakthrough
Using tissues from Coolah, who died in 2004, scientists discover origins of tumors that are killing wild devils
(Fort Wayne, IN) As researchers work to halt a mysterious disease that is decimating Australia’s wild Tasmanian devils, they may have found an answer deep within a freezer at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.
Inside the freezer are tissue samples from Coolah, a Tasmanian devil who lived at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo from 1999 until his death in 2004. Coolah was a celebrity during the last year of his life: He was the only member of this furry, black, raccoon-sized marsupial species living outside Australia. The Australian government had discontinued the export of Tasmanian devils, so Coolah’s unique status made him famous around the world.
Because of Coolah’s standing as the only non-Australian Tasmanian devil in the world, Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Joe Smith took special care to preserve Coolah’s tissues when he died of inoperable cancer at age 7 ½ in 2004. “Knowing that no other Tasmanian devils were coming from Australia, we felt it was important to preserve samples of major organs for future research,” said Dr. Smith.
That turned out to be a wise decision. In 1996, a new disease called Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) began sweeping across Tasmania, the Australian island that is the devils’ only wild home. With DFTD killing up to 70% of wild Tasmanian devils, scientists estimate that Tasmanian devils could become extinct in just 25-35 years if a treatment is not discovered. Researchers around the world are scrambling to understand the disease, in which grotesque tumors form on the face and mouth and prevent the devil from feeding, before it wipes out the entire population.
A few years ago, when researchers in New York needed normal Tasmanian devil tissues to help them better understand DFTD, they turned to Coolah and the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Dr. Smith provided the samples that served as a control for an extensive study of the tumors’ origins. Coolah’s tissues contributed to a breakthrough: researchers determined that the tumors originated in the cells that surround the devils’ nerves. “This knowledge will pave the way for diagnosis and treatment of DFTD,” said Dr. Smith. “Researchers now have some hope in their fight against this disease.” The results of the research were published in the January 2010 issue of the journal Science.
Assisting with research projects is nothing new for the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. “We contribute whenever we can to help advance the science of animal care – in zoos or in the wild,” said Smith.
As for Coolah, he is famous once again – this time, he may have helped save his species from extinction.
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