Two weeks ago the first sods were turned and the rain started falling! So began the construction of the three additional 3ha free-range enclosures at Devil Ark.
There was a sense of history repeating itself all around. This time last year when construction began in earnest at Devil Ark, the Barrington Tops experienced its wettest summer. 2011 looks to be just the same with more unseasonal rain.
Conditions are far from ideal - but that hasn't stopped our intrepid fence constructors!
Nothing stops our construction team though. Between 6-10 men have been building new enclosures ready to house our next Tassie devils due to arrive from Tasmania on 15 December.
First they spent a week clearing for the fences. This involved a 24 tonne excavator clearing a 10 metre wide line (the felled tress will be used to make devil dens – more about that later).
Then half-a-metre deep trenches were dug. Devils are brilliant diggers and climbers so our fences need a few precautions like being buried below ground!
And now the fencing is in full swing. 150 poles are required for the 500m plus of fencing and these were positioned every three metres and strung with three strands of high tension wire. Finally the cyclone mesh is attached to the poles and also dug below ground (to stop that digging).
As eluded to earlier; Tassie devils are pretty handy climbers so a piece of slippery tin will soon be attached to the top of the fence to prevent unwanted adventures.
The final stages of our new enclosures have now begun … each enclosure is getting six devil dens (devils are solitary animals and like to sleep alone). The trees felled during the fence line clearing are being piled high and covered in 50 tonnes (or two truck-loads from a dump truck) of soil. Devils will use these structures to dig their dens.
Airlocks are also being built in the corner of each enclosure. An area approx. 10 x 10 metres is fenced off for feed stations. To eat, devils must pass through a small enclosure fitted with a microchip reading device. This enables our Keepers to track and monitor devil movements – critical information for learning more about wild devil behaviour to maximise breeding results.
Newly constructed devil den
Airlocks are also being built in the corner of each enclosure. An area approx. 10 x 10 metres is fenced off for feed stations. To eat, devils must pass through a small enclosure fitted with a microchip reading device. This enables our Keepers to track and monitor devil movements – critical information for learning more about wild devil behaviour to maximise breeding results.
The uncharacteristically wet weather has slowed down work and resulted in the frequent bogging of vehicles and excavator, but work is still due to finish on time for our expanding population.
