Eight Tassie Devils en route to the US as part an educational ambassador program
Eight Tasmanian devils will soon be far from home as part of an international effort to rescue the species threatened by the devil facial tumour disease. Check out their mission >>
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Eight Tasmanian devils are en route to the US, where they will become champions for the species and the state as part of the Tasmanian devil Ambassador Program.
While the devils are a long way from home, insurance programs like this could be essential to the species’ continued survival.
Parks and Environment Minister Nick Duigan said two devils named Tequila and Tabasco will be at Toledo Zoo, while Layna and Tori are bound for the Columbus Zoo.
“Mouse and Mozza will call the Saint Louis Zoo home, while Arya Stark and Valentina will settle into the Fort Wayne Zoo,” Mr Duigan said.
“These devils will play an important conservation role in raising awareness of the plight of the species on the world stage and are an important part of international relationship-building efforts through the Tasmanian devil Ambassador Program.
“The devils are receiving their final health checks at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania Cressy Wildlife Facility ahead of their journey, scheduled for June 4.”
The program has been running since 2013 and involves 51 devils in 21 zoos across New Zealand, Japan, America, and Europe.
“It’s so important that people are talking about the Tasmanian devil and contributing to the research around the deadly Tasmanian devil Facial Tumour Disease,” Mr Duigan said.
“These devils have been sourced from Insurance Population animals held at Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary, Devils@Cradle, and Tasmania Zoo and are a really important way to ensure the genetic diversity of our devils.”
Toledo Zoo keeper Michael Frushoui said the zoo’s newest residents would be important ambassadors to help raise awareness about the plight of their wild counterparts.
“We’re really, really excited for the devils to find a new home at Toledo Zoo, and we couldn’t be happier to be here – this is the culmination of a few years of working with the Tasmanian government,” Mr Frushoui said.
“We love telling the story of the conservation work that the Tasmanian Government has done to save this species from the brink of what could have been extinction.”
Mr Frushoui said he is excited to introduce Tequila and Tabasco to the American public.
“One of the greatest parts about my job is educating people on our amazing animals. And Tasmanian devils are such a great example of that; they’re amazing animals that some people don’t even know exist,” he said.
“Not only is it a real animal, it’s one of the most tenacious, endearing, and charismatic animals you could ever imagine.”
Tasmanian devil Ambassador Program co-ordinator David Sharp said that following the success of the US export, the program will send devils to Auckland Zoo in New Zealand, then to the West Coast of the US, and then to Prague in the Czech Republic.
“There’ll be a lot more work ahead of us, but we want people to know what the Tasmanian devil is – a lot of people understand the Tasmanian devil as a cartoon character but don’t actually realise it’s an actual species,” he said.
“But also, we want to educate people on the plights they face and the conservation efforts going into saving the Tasmanian devil.”
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