Baby Tasmanian Devil Just Wants To Be Cuddled And Won’t Stop Chasing His Keeper Until He Is

Jun 19, 2019

Tim Faulkner, an Australian Conservationist, was captured on camera being chased by a baby Tasmanian devil who just wanted some love. 

According to Tim Faulkner's website, he has dedicated his life to wildlife education and preserving the animal world. Faulkner manages the Australian Reptile Park on the NSW coast, the park strives to make a difference in animal conservation research and restoring the environment.

Tim also works with a program called Devil Ark that fights to make sure the animal does not reach extinction. Sadly, the devils are endangered because of an infectious cancer called devil facial tumor disease (DFTD).

The Devil Ark website reads,

"Unfortunately, the wildlife community is still searching for a cure or vaccine for DFTD.  The only option to ensure the Tassie devils survival in the wildlife is from breeding programs like Devil Ark."

Tasmanian devils were once only indigenous to the island of Tasmania, but they eventually spread to the mainland, Australia.

According to National Geographic,

"Efforts in the late 1800s to eradicate Tasmanian devils, which farmers erroneously believed were killing livestock (although they were known to take poultry), were nearly successful. In 1941, the government made devils a protected species, and their numbers have grown steadily since."

But the deadly illness, DFTD, struck in the mid-1990s wiping out thousands of them. Today, breeding programs like Devil Ark aim to save the animals from extinction.

At Devil Ark, human interaction is limited so the devils will be successful when they are released into the wild. According to their website, 

"Each enclosure contains a small group of devils that behave as they would in the wild. With limited human exposure, they retain their wild behavioral traits, maintaining their independence and relying on their own natural instincts to prepare them for eventual release back in the wild in Tasmania."

But there are times where the keepers come in contact with the animals just like in the adorable video below of Faulkner and the little baby. 

Did you think this baby Tasmanian devil chasing Tim was just as adorable as we did? Tell us in the comments below. Make sure you show your friends and family this article so they can spread the word about how the Tasmanian devil is in danger of going extinct!