The devils are coming…
The devils are coming…
Four Tasmanian devils are making their way to Auckland Zoo this week, just in time for April School Holidays.
One female and three male Tasmanian devils are moving to Auckland Zoo from Australia’s Healesville Zoo to be part of an insurance population for the endangered species.
Auckland Zoo director, Jonathan Wilcken says that Auckland Zoo is excited to be a part of this important conservation programme to help save the iconic Tasmanian devil.
“People may be surprised to learn that the Tasmanian devil is a delightfully curious and engaging creature – a very different animal from the one portrayed in the famous cartoon. We’re looking forward to visitors being delighted by the new exhibit; it really is a fantastic environment for the devils to live and for visitors to learn,” says Mr Wilcken.
Once widespread throughout Australia, devils are now only found in Tasmania and are threatened with extinction due to the deadly Devil Facial Tumour Disease - a devastating disease that emerged in 1996 and still has no cure.
In response to the emergence of this disease and the alarming decline in Tasmanian devils, the Australian and Tasmanian governments teamed up and created the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. The programme includes a global zoo-based initiative lead by the Zoo and Aquarium Association, which manages a disease-free population of devils for future release in to the wild, should the wild population further deteriorate.
ENDS