'Doc' gives devils the thumbs up!

'Doc' gives devils the thumbs up!

It seems only yesterday that we were separating the first lot of Devils bred here and placing them into their own FREs (free range enclosures)... Three months on and its time for our quarterly heath checks.

This is a very exciting time, as it’s not only the juveniles, but all our devils that we check. Breeding season is likely over, some females starting as early as March so were expecting to see lots of little joeys in mums pouches. It also gives us the opportunity to see animals that are more secretive.

Although trapping is only done once every three months (to minimise human contact) we still observe our devils daily at feeding time, using game cameras or just out and about doing their thing. If an animal is seen with an injury or poor health at any time, we will always have a closer look and take appropriate action.

Our health check starts with every devil in a FRE being trapped. The special traps we use are designed for devils and are made out of plastic, this minimises the risk of injury as well as exposure to the elements. They are also nice and dark to avoid excess stress.

The devil is transferred from trap to a hessian sack, has it micro-chip read for identification, is weighed, visually checked over and treated for external and internal parasites. All observations and information is recorded on the animal’s personal health sheet, and after checking the devil’s history it is released back into its enclosure.

weighing

recording details

 All in all, we are very happy with the condition of our devils!

The juveniles breed last year are looking fantastic and all putting on good weight. On average female are weighing 4.5kg – 5kg and males weighing 6.5kg – 7kg

As expected there are a few wounds amongst the adults, mainly the males. But as this species is very competitive and aggressive during the breeding season, these are nothing that we were surprised to see, or be overly concerned about.

about to be released after a thorough health check

The most common injury for a male is bites to the tail base and rump, showing fur loss at the site.

All wounds are treated as we process each devil. Devils also have an amazing immune system and in my time working with have been amazed how quickly they heal. Adult females weighed 7.5kg- 8kg and adult males weighed up to 10kg.

We were very excited to see lots of little joeys of various ages, some no bigger than a jelly bean in mum’s pouches, and are looking forward to the next health inspection when we will be able to have a closer look.

 joeys approx 80 days old

Winter at the Ark

Just when it seemed that autumn was going to last forever, there can be no denying that winter is well and truly here! Most mornings we are either greeted by a harsh frost or an eerie mist, and a few weeks ago we had our first light snow. Thank goodness for thermal underwear! 

A picture says 1000 words

 But we can’t complain as weatherwise we had an outstanding April and May. To think that only a few weeks ago we were working in t-shirts, shorts and sporting singlets on that extra sunny day. The last few weeks though, the temperature has plummeted. Now you won’t find me without anything less than two layers on and even my dog wears her winter jacket.

Just the other morning while waiting for the kettle to boil (ummm coffee) I noticed steam coming out my mouth and nose, and this wasn’t outside, it was in my house. Now that cold!

And it’s not only the temperature that’s diminishing, but also the photo opportunity period. Barrington winter sunrise is at 6:53am and sunset at 4:58pm, compared to summer sunrise at 5:48am and sunset at 8:02pm. Thank heavens winter solstice has now past!

A positive of this however is the increased keeper observation in devil activity, as devils like to use the cover of darkness to move about, feed and get up to all sorts of mischief!

For those of you familiar with a heavy morning frost, you’ll agree that visually, it’s nothing short of beautiful. 

Frozen blades of grass and muddy puddles crunching under foot and frosty crystals that cling and coat everything... including our vehicle windscreens.

In fact there have been a few mornings where cars either haven’t started, or have taken what seems like forever to warm up. Putting water on the windscreen to break up the ice only to have it re-freeze seems a bitter irony. Other problems we have to deal with work-wise are partially frozen water bowls, frozen water lines and the endless job of cutting and splitting firewood.

Our first snow, which was only a light dusting started at around 9pm and lasted a few hours. Excitedly I ran to my car and drove for around for 20 minutes hoping to find a decent deposit for a photo, but it wasn’t enough to hold and had evaporated well before morning as we also had a rain that night. This was only to be a sneak peak of what’s to come as the area Barrington Tops is renowned for its winter whites.

Now I know what you’re thinking…  what about the poor devils, they’ll be freezing up there! Well it’s very important to remember that these animals’ wild habitat of Tasmania is very cold, in fact it’s one of the reasons the Barrington Tops was selected, our long term goal will be breeding and maintaining a healthy population of devils whose descendants will eventually repopulate the Tasmanian ecosystem, not only do we need devils with wild behaviour, but also animals that can cope with the harsh, cold weather conditions. Cradle Mountain (NW Tasmania and home to wild devil populations) experiences winter temperatures this time of year with an average morning of 2 degrees, and an evening temp of -2 degrees (and 7 degrees at midday).

Happy winter all!

Andrew, Devil Ark Keeper

It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air at Devil Ark!

Love doesn’t get much better than this!

Following our first successful breeding season at Devil Ark last year, our next season is almost upon us.

The female Tasmanian devil’s body has already started to prepare for mating, which will start later this month. The skin around her neck is thickening (ready for a few “love bites”) and her pouch is deepening to accommodate her new joeys.

Is this what love at first sight looks like?
Hen and Conan meet for the first time... we know their off sping will be cute!

Mating occurs over a seven day period after the female selects her mate. If she doesn’t fall pregnant with her first ovulation, she can have two more cycles before the end of June. Devils aren’t monogamous so she could have many partners if not defended by the male. He ‘mate guards’ by sprawling across the entrance of his mate’s den to prevent other unwelcome male visitors.

 Her skin is thickening...

Gestation is a brief 21 days, after which around 30 tiny devils are born. Since mum only has four teats, it is a race for the first four to fuse themselves to her teats to survive. They will feed from their mother for six months before venturing from their den in Spring.

These juvenile devils will become fully independent by December. Last year’s Devil Ark babies are now in a crèche and will be moved into free range enclosure when they reach breeding age next year.

Devil Ark’s first breeding season last year was a great success with 26 baby devils born at Devil Ark - the largest number of devil joeys ever born in captivity. Devil Ark has quickly become the largest breeding facility for the endangered Tasmanian devil and we are now home to almost 100 devils in large free range enclosures that mimic the natural landscape of their native Tasmania.

With the insidious DFTD (Devil Facial Tumour Disease) now reaching the final disease-free area in Tasmania’s North West, extinction in the wild seems inevitable. This highlights the importance of Devil Ark’s goal to preserve this fascinating marsupial.

Population swells

Devil Ark now officially has 93 Tasmanian devils making us the largest conservation breeding program on the mainland! This is great news for the long-term survival of the devil.

Yesterday the arrival of ten more Tasmanian devils at Devil Ark has swelled our population and genetic pool just in time for the next breeding season that starts in February.

Some of the devils released yesterday are from Tasmania where they have been in quarantine for up to two years to ensure they are disease-free and others are from mainland zoos.

It’s a busy time at Devil Ark; we have just received breeding recommendations from ZAA (Zoo and Aquarium Association) and the stud book dictates which devils should be configured together for the impending breeding season which starts in February.

During the next few weeks, teenage devils (those who have reached reproductive age) will be transferred from their crèche enclosures at Devil Ark where they will be arranged into breeding groups of between six and eight.

And the 26 joeys born in the first breeding season at Devil Ark will be weaned and moved into the crèches vacated by the teenagers.

The growth at Devil Ark is very timely as recent news reports from Tasmania have brought the terrible news that the fatal DFTD (Devil Facial Tumour Disease) has infiltrated the western half of the state and in particular the north-west, which was the Tasmanian devils’ last stronghold. The areas were believed to be free of the devastating disease that is propelling the Tasmanian devil towards extinction and now sees more than 84% of the wild population destroyed.

Devil Ark Operations Manager Tim Faulkner believes “This could see the whole state of Tasmania left with between just 1-5% of devils in as little as two years.”

New homes being built

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.

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.

Calendar Girls helping out

The producers of the Australian Girls of Herpetology calendar, which is being released in November have generously offered all profits from the Calendar to be donated to Devil Ark!

Shot by talented photographer Shannon Plummer, the calendar is a stunning showcase of beautiful photographs, mixed with gorgeous girls and reptiles, celebrating women in the Australian herpetology community, both as keepers, and those who work in the industry.

So, if you're looking around for a Christmas present for someone special – well, look no further! 

Click here to pre-order now!

   

Devil Ark Official Opening

Its official Devil Ark was opened today!  We woke up to brilliant blue sky and a still day – what a relief as yesterday was blowing a gale.



ABC helicopter landing at Devil Ark



Our opening was a very significant milestone as we reveal the first joeys born at Devil Ark and a four year funding agreement was announced by The Hon. Robyn Parker MP (Member for Maitland, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage).



The Hon Robyn Parker with devil joey

 

The Hon Robyn Parker cutting the robbon with students from Ellerston Public School



Cr Lee Watt, Mayor of the Upper Hunter Council also launched our Fences for Devils fundraising campaign (find out more at www.devilark.com.au.



Upper Hunter Shire Council Mayor, Lee Watt (right) and Australian Reptile Park General Manager Mary Rayner (left)

Reptile Park General Manager Mary Rayner, John, and Upper Hunter Shire Mayor Lee Watts

One of Devil Ark's Joey's "Scooter"

The official opening ceremony

The official opening is the culmination of years of planning and hard work by John Weigel and his team at the Australian Reptile Park. The guys at Devil Ark (Adrian and Tye) have determined that at least eight litters of devils have been produced in this, the first breeding season for the facility, which is a huge boost to the program, and comes as a relief to John, who said  “having so many females with young within our first six months of operations is a testament to our free-range 'environmental enclosures' approach. Our emphasis is on maintaining wild-type behaviour by keeping devils in a natural bush setting with appropriate social groups.  Everything is a learning experience and Devil Ark is no exception.  Fortunately, and to the great excitement of everyone involved in the project, it is already apparent that the Devil Ark model is well and truly on the right track,” said Mr Weigel.