WEBBER OUT TO HELP SAVE ANIMAL FROM EXTINCTION

Monday July 9, 2012

Formula 1 star, Mark Webber, has again thrown his support behind the battle to save the Tasmanian Devil from extinction.

Fresh from his victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday, Webber has announced that funds raised through his adventure charity race, the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge, will go to the Save the Tassie Devil Fund.

“Personally, I’m very committed to helping the Tassie Devil, and my charity adventure run is a great way to raise money for them and to increase awareness of their plight.”

The Tasmanian Devil, an animal unique to the island state of Australia, has been listed as endangered, with already 90% of its population wiped out by a facial tumour disease, a fatal condition characterised by cancers around the mouth and head.

The disease first appeared in 1996, and there is now a race against time to save the world’s largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, with scientists looking for a cure before the Devil is wiped out.

It’s a cause close to Webber’s heart, who has had a special relationship with Tasmania for over a decade, where he hosts his annual five-day adventure race.

The Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge has raised over A$1.5 million for his charity foundation since Webber started the event back in 2006.

The F1 star will attend the race, which gets underway in Launceston on Wednesday November 28, straight after the final round of the F1 season in Brazil, and finishes in Hobart on December 2, and has urged others to join him.

“I’m telling everyone to come down to Tasmania and join in the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge,” Webber said.

“It’s a teams event, you don’t have to be a super athlete, and you’ll see one of the most spectacular places on earth while raising money for some very good causes.

Further information is available at the event website: www.markwebbertasmaniachallenge.com
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