Dead young devil found on Birralee Rd near proposed Northern prison construction site

Those opposing a proposed maximum security prison in the North say the increase in road movements will endanger more native animals, after the discovery of a dead Tasmanian devil. Latest >>

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THOSE opposing the construction of a prison near Westbury say the discovery of a dead Tasmanian devil on the road opposite the site earmarked for the state’s second jail confirms concerns extra traffic will endanger local wildlife populations.

A dead devil on the road at Birralee opposite where the government intends to build a new prison

Concerned Residents Opposed to the Westbury Prison Site said they were “horrified” to find the juvenile Tasmanian devil dead on Birralee Rd on Monday morning.

The group said the devil was on the road directly opposite the new proposed northern regional prison site at brushy rivulet reserve, Westbury.

“Is there any more proof required that the Tasmanian devils’ den listed on the natural values atlas is an active den producing healthy young,” a CROWPS spokesman said.

“The Tasmanian Government invests millions of dollars to protect this endangered species however Peter Gutwein continues pushing on with this new site to build a maximum-security prison to house 270 prisoners.

“This will increase the road traffic by in excess of 400 movements a day resulting in many more native species being killed on our roads.”

A close up of the unfortunate creature.

A government spokesman said due diligence works were continuing at the Birralee Rd site for the Northern Regional Prison and those works would be fully cognisant of the local environment.

“All devil roadkill is of concern, and it’s vital that drivers slowdown from dusk to dawn in all areas and particularly high risk areas, to ensure we reduce the risk to our devils on our Tasmanian road,” the spokesman said.

“In addition, a range of measures have been implemented that are designed to better understand and reduce the impact of roadkill in Tasmania.

“This includes signage to remind road users installed in many high risk areas across the state. “Drivers can also report sightings of roadkill, when safe to do so, through the Roadkill TAS app to facilitate community collection of roadkill data and help identify hot spots in both space and time, and inform the identification of appropriate mitigation measures.”