Lil ones grow up sooo quickly

One afternoon recently I was relaxing at home with a good book when I heard the sound of something being ripped up. I ran into the lounge room to find both Lloyd and Midnight playing tug of war with a strand of carpet! I yelled “oi! what are you doing?” and received the cutest most guilty look ever. 

A quick check of the house revealed a chewed TV remote and some gnawed coffee table legs.... Clearly it was time for these lil ones to leave the nest and begin to explore the big bad world.

It's weaning time for our Tasmanian devil joeys, and now they are drinking water and eating solids on a daily basis, their favourite food at the moment is rabbit (fur and all) and even at this age they can crunch through the bones.

By now most wild devil joeys would be weaned and fending for themselves (except maybe some of those born later in the year); we are in the process of removing our joeys from the free range enclosures (FREs) and have noticed that most females are no longer producing milk. This is giving females a chance to recuperate before the next breeding season starts next February/ March.

It's a little quiet at home now, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Lloyd and Midnight but I know they’re better off where they are - they were becoming less dependent of me and more and more adventurous as each day past. They are currently living in a mini-enclosure but will soon be moved into Devil Ark and in the future will be living in our FREs

It's been such a pleasure watching them grow. I'll never forget how small they were or the time I found them in the bottom of the oven with a nest of stolen items; or just watching them chasing each other around the house.

Since they've been so good this year a special Xmas gift will be well deserved, and I'm sure there will be a turkey leg or two.

A big merry Xmas and happy holidays from Lloyd and Midnight; have a safe holiday and look out for us in the New Year.

Princess Mary provides genetic Tasmanian devil diversity at Devil Ark

Following another bumper breeding season at Devil Ark, we are delighted with the recent arrival of the most genetically diverse female devil in the Save the Tasmanian Devil breeding program. 

The new devil is wild caught from the East coast of Tasmania, is two years old and has been affectionately named Princess Mary by the keepers at Devil Ark. It is hoped that she will have at 2-3 successful breeding years, producing up to twelve joeys.

Princess Mary is so important because she is not related to any other devil in the program. She was wild caught in Northeast Tasmania, which is heavily infected by Devil Facial Tumour Disease. She has never bred and prior to arriving, she was in quarantine in Tasmania to ensure she was disease-free. Genetic diversity is crucial to the species’ survival as strong genes give the devil the best chance of survival in the wild.

The STDP’s stud book is held by the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) who are responsible for matching the most genetically diverse devils for breeding. This means that once a year, devils are transferred in and out of the 20 participating institutions in the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program across the country. 

Devil Ark is the largest and most successful facility in Australia. It is recognised that breeding an insurance population is a vital part in saving the species from extinction in the wild due to the contagious cancer Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The aggressive disease is always fatal and kills devils within six months. A shocking way to die, the poor devil succumbs to dehydration and organ failure. 

Health check gives "Princes Mary' the all clear