Face to face with a devil

Wildlife Parks across Tasmania provide an opportunity to come face to face with Tasmanian devils. They play an important role in conserving this unique species, as well as raising awareness of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). The Save the Tasmanian Devil program, funded by both Tasmanian and Australian Governments, provides in-principle support for the initiatives of these parks in helping to save this iconic animal.

In Tasmania, you may see a Tasmanian devil in the wild, when driving at night. Being nocturnal, Tasmanian devils are unlikely to be seen during the day, except perhaps from February to April when young, newly independent devils are dispersing to find new homes. Natural habitat for Tasmanian devils can be seen in some of the world’s most beautiful wild places, Tasmania’s national parks and reserve system (www.parks.tas.gov.au).

While the best place to see a Tasmanian devil is in Tasmania, you can also see them at some zoos on mainland Australia (shown below), and in Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark.

 

Tasmanian Wildlife Parks

Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Centre

593 Briggs Road, Brighton – www.bonorong.com.au

A dedicated team of wildlife and eco-tourism experts took over the management of Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Centre in late 2007, transforming the long-time sanctuary into a centre for conservation and education.

“Devil conservation is an important part of our new focus,” said conservation director, Dr Sally Bryant. “This includes public education about DFTD, as well as devil roadkill, and how people can be involved.

“We have 14 devils on site, and our personalised keeper tours include devil ecology, life history and latest research.”

Bonorong Wildlife Conservation Centre provides rehabilitation services for native Tasmanian orphaned or injured wildlife, on and off site, using a network of half-way properties and specialised volunteers.

 

Devils @ Cradle

Sheffield – www.devilsatcradle.com

Devils @ Cradle is a unique wildlife park concentrating specifically on Tasmanian devils.

All visitors receive a personally guided tour which ensures a close up and educational experience, with the most spectacular being the night feeding tours. The facility has an intensively managed captive-breeding program, which now houses 20 devils, and conducts a camera-based field monitoring program of wild devils with the Cradle Mountain area.

“Our captive-breeding program is linked to the field monitoring program,” said Wade Anthony, the managing director of Devils @ Cradle.

“Down the track, hopefully some of the animals we breed can be released back into the area and monitored via tracking devices.”

 

Devil’s Heaven at Launceston Lakes

1166 Ecclestone Road, Riverside – www.launcestonlakes.com

The Launceston Lakes Devil Orphan Program was established in 2004 when they agreed to adopt and raise the orphaned devils of mothers with DFTD.

“At the time, no-one knew if the babies would also be infected,” said Drew Williams, Zoologist at Launceston Lakes. “But one of the many things we’ve learnt from this transmission trial is that mothers don’t pass on DFTD to their young.

“Today, all the animals remain disease free. We even have three devils that are second-generation descendants of the original orphans.”

Nestled in the foothills of the Tamar Valley, Launceston Lakes adjoins native bush. The large enclosures allow visitors to experience wildlife in a natural environment.

 

East Coast Natureworld

Tasman Highway, Bicheno – www.natureworld.com.au

East Coast Natureworld owners Bruce and Maureen Englefield have donated the use of 11ha of land to establish the Devil Island Project - a wild population of disease-free breeding devils.

“My Masters Degree is in animal behaviour,” Bruce said. “My focus is on preserving the wild behaviour of devils so they can be released directly into the wild.”

Work has already begun on a double security fence system to enclose Devil Island.

Ten Tasmanians, “The Devil Islanders” (see picture), are training for the London Marathon to raise $130,000 toward financing the project. With an average age of 56, they’re putting their bodies on the line to save their iconic animal.

 

Something Wild

2082 Gordon River Road, National Park – www.somethingwild.com.au

Something Wild and The Devils in Danger Foundation Inc. (DIDF) is committed to saving the Tasmanian devil through the unique ‘No Injury’ breeding program. This is the only breeding program of its type in the world, designed and endorsed by experts in Devil Captive management.

The program is designed to humanely breed captive devils to maximize the genetics in our clean captive population before it’s too late.

This program aims to raise the standard in captive breeding. A primary world class quarantine ‘no injury’ breeding facility, to train animal handlers and incorporating "off display" quarantine breeding and holding pods to breed devils humanely, will be constructed in 2008.

 

Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park

Port Arthur Highway, Taranna – www.tasmaniandevilpark.com

The Tasmanian Devil Conservation park is involved in a number of research projects to help the save the Tasmanian devil.

In 2007, the Tasman Founder Project saw them release back into the wild orphaned devils (from sick mothers from the Forestier Peninsula) that were hand-raised by volunteer carers before being held for a year in quarantine by the Park. These devils were released with satellite tracking collars to trace their movements and survival on the peninsula. Another project is attempting to selectively breed devils with greater ability to survive the Devil Facial Tumour Disease.

In 2008, the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park will open its latest cutting-edge Tasmanian devil displays.

 

Trowunna Wildlife Park

1892 Mole Creek Road, Mole Creek – www.trowunna.com.au

First established in 1979, Androo Kelly’s Trowunna Wildlife Park lays claim to pioneering the captive management of devils.

Today, Trowunna has 22 devil enclosures housing 46 animals. It’s an institutional member of the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA) and a member of the Australasian Society of Zoo Keeping (ASZK).

Trowunna has bred devils every year since 1985, complete with detailed stud records. Moreover, Androo’s ARAZPA-accredited Tasmanian devil management course, conducted since 2001, is being attended by zookeepers across Australasia, the US, and Europe – particularly by staff from wildlife parks, chosen to house insurance-population devils.

Trowunna prides itself on its cutting-edge approach to wildlife management and education.

 

Wings Wildlife Park

137 Winduss Road, Gunns Plains – www.wingswildlife.com.au

The family-run Wings Wildlife Park has undertaken guided tours for most schools on the Tasmanian north-west coast.

“Our focus on awareness and education goes hand in hand with the Park’s captive breeding program, which has a 100% success rate,” said Megan Wing, who operates the park with husband Colin and son Josh.

Wings Wildlife Park is 35 minutes from Devonport, and offers on-site accommodation.

It caters for the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife, and also boasts farm animals, reptiles and fish. As well as breeding devils, they also breed owls, quolls, bettongs and possums.

 

Zoo Doo Wildlife Park

620 Middle Tea Tree Road, Richmond – www.zoodoo.com.au

Can Bengal Tigers help save the Tassie Devil? The answer is yes, explains Trevor Cuttriss from Zoo Doo Wildlife Park.

“We’re different to other parks in that we have large numbers of exotic and agricultural animals, as well as native species,” said Trevor.

“This variety means we attract many visitors – and once they’re through the gate, we can educate them about Tasmanian devils and DFTD.”

In 2007, Zoo Doo built a glass-fronted devil exhibit, and is looking to further increase their devil numbers through a breeding program.

Zoo Doo also runs guided bus tours through the 33ha farm, allowing visitors to get ‘up close and personal’ with the animals.

 

Tasmanian Wildlife Tours

Kings Run Wildlife Tours

Arthur River, 14km south of Marrawah – www.kingsrun.com.au

Watching Tasmanian devils feasting on a carcass in the wild is a rare treat for most tourists – even locals. But Geoff King, from Kings Run Wildlife Tours, offers this truly unique and unforgettable experience on his 350ha property.

‘I feel lucky that my family were cattlemen who chose this block as a winter run five generations ago,’ explained Geoff, a beef producer and the president of the Tasmanian Conservation Trust. ‘Today, the land has shown that it’s got a completely different character.’

The western boundary of Kings Run, which is pounded by the Southern Ocean, is a rugged foreshore studded with quartzite outcrops and an abundance of shorebirds.

 

Mainland Australian Zoos

An important part of the fight to save the Tasmanian devil is to establish an insurance population that is healthy, big enough and safe from the disease. As well as captive animals in Tasmania, a growing insurance population has been established on mainland Australia. Under the direction of the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA), zoos in all States are now helping to save the Tasmanian devil.

Adelaide Zoo

Adelaide, South Australia – www.adelaidezoo.com.au

Australian Reptile Park

Gosford, New South Wales – www.reptilepark.com.au

Australia Zoo

Beerwah, Queensland – www.australiazoo.com.au

Ballarat Zoo

Ballarat, Victoria – www.wildlifepark.com.au

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Currumbin, Queensland – www.currumbin-sanctuary.org.au

Dreamworld

Gold Coast, Queensland – www.dreamworld.com.au/

Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary

Healesville, Victoria – www.zoo.org.au/HealesvilleSanctuary

Monarto Zoological Park

Monarto, South Australia – www.adelaidezoo.com.au/monarto-zoo

Perth Zoo

Perth, Western Australia – www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au

Taronga Zoo

Sydney, New South Wales – www.zoo.nsw.gov.au

Western Plains Zoo

Dubbo, New South Wales – www.zoo.nsw.gov.au

 

International Zoos

In 2006, as a gift from the Tasmanian people to celebrate the birth of Prince Christian of Denmark, whose mother Princess Mary was born in Tasmania, the Tasmanian Government sent two pairs of Tasmanian devils from Trowunna Wildlife Park in Tasmania to Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark.

Copenhagen Zoo

Copenhagen, Denmark – www.zoo.dk/cms/showpage.asp?nodeid=english