An animal that has not lived the Australian mainland in 3,000 years is back. The creature is the Tasmanian devil. Conservation groups the state of New South Wales on Australia's east coast released a group of 26 the mammals. They put them in a large nature reserve north the city of Sydney. The Tasmanian devil is the size of a small dog. It feeds large birds and household waste. It has been an endangered species decades after dingoes (an Australian wild dog) wiped them on mainland Australia. The devil gets its name its high-pitched squeal and the fierce way it fights food. Despite its scary-sounding name, experts say it is not a danger to humans.
The conservation group Aussie Ark worked other animal protection groups on the project to release the Tasmanian devils. The animals are a nature reserve to help keep their chances of survival high. They have been left to find their own food and survive themselves. Tim Faulkner, president Aussie Ark, told National Geographic: "They are free. They're there. We've got some basic means keeping an eye them, but essentially, now it's to the devils to do what they do." He was hopeful the future of the devils, saying: "This release of devils will be the first of many. We are talking about something monumental, a true landmark history."
