JoyZine—Eclectic Ezine featuring an Australian English dictionary, convict culture, Aboriginal culture, Dreamtime legends, music interviews and backstage Adventures of Zoe

JoyZine

Important Information for Getting the Most Out of JoyZine

Popup Blockers
You will need to turn off or tell your popup blocker to "Allow Popups on This Site."

Navigation
To use the site navigation on the left, you will also need to have Java enabled. To navigate with Java or Javascript turned off: at the bottom of each page, there is a link to the Site Map where you won't need Java.

Searching
You can use the Google Search above to search the entire JoyZine website; Additionally, in the Australia section you'll get more comprehensive results by using the Search in the menu section in the left-hand column.

Australia lists Tasmanian devils
as endangered
Numbers have declined by 70 percent since cancer was first reported in '96

Mark Baker / AP

Tasmanian devils, whose numbers have dropped significantly since the appearance of a contagious cancer more than a decade ago, have been listed as endangered in Australia.

CANBERRA, Australia - The Tasmanian devil, a snarling fox-sized marsupial made notorious by its Looney Tunes cartoon namesake Taz, was last week listed in Australia as an endangered species because of a contagious cancer that has wiped out most of the wild population.

The upgrade from "vulnerable" under Australian environmental law entitles the world's largest marsupial carnivore to greater protection in the island state of Tasmania, Environment Minister Peter Garrett said in a statement.

Devils do not exist in the wild outside Tasmania, although mainland zoos are breeding captive populations as a strategy against total extinction. more....