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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The Toledo Zoo will soon be home to three Tasmanian devils as part of an international effort to rescue the species threatened by a rare form of contagious cancer.
The cancer, which causes fatal facial tumors, has reduced sightings of the animals in the wild up to 95 percent in some areas in their native Australian island state of Tasmania.
The Blade reports Sunday (http://bit.ly/1XxLeOE ) the zoo will be one of only six American zoos with Tasmanian devils, the largest species of carnivorous marsupial.
Two females and a male, which are second-generation captive-born animals, will arrive at the zoo later this month.
A Toledo zookeeper will escort the trio to the U.S. along with an Australian keeper who will help train other Toledo Zoo staff.
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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/
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