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Australian animal back from the dead - 7th October 2020

This Tasmanian devil has a new home. It’s one of the first in Australia for 3,000 years.

Environmentalists set free 26 of these devils, which are marsupials like kangaroos, near Sydney.

Tim Faulkner manages one environmental organisation.

"This release of devils will be the first of many. We're talking something monumental, a real mark in history, the return of devil to mainland."

These meat eating devils can weigh up to 8kg. They are an important, missing part of the Australian environment.

"We've got the feral fox and feral cat wreaking havoc on our natives. And a control measure, a natural control measure, like a devil, back in the environment could be the only natural solution we have to protecting our natives."

Dingoes are wild dogs which were introduced to Australia. They slowly killed all the devils. They were safe in Tasmania until a disease killed huge numbers in the 1990s. Now only 25,000 are left. This new devil population helps guarantee their future.