Tasmanian devils face an unprecedented infectious cancer that has reduced populations by over 80% since the 1990s, causing severe suffering in affected individuals.
DFTD tumours grow rapidly across the face, jaw, and neck causing progressive difficulty in eating. Affected animals slowly starve as tumours eventually block the mouth entirely. The disease is invariably fatal within months of clinical signs appearing. Animals in advanced disease states continue foraging and interacting despite severe impairment. The population-level suffering represents one of the most significant wildlife disease welfare crises.