Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a contagious cancer threatening Tasmanian devils with extinction, with welfare implications for both affected individuals and conservation management.
Tasmanian devils with advanced DFTD experience progressive facial disfigurement, difficulty eating and eventual starvation over weeks to months — a prolonged welfare harm. Affected individuals in managed populations are euthanised when welfare declines to avoid extended suffering. Wild animals die without intervention. The conservation response involves population management through removal of affected animals, vaccine trials and maintenance of disease-free insurance populations, each carrying welfare considerations alongside conservation benefit.