Tasmanian devil; Tring Zoological Museum; 30th December 2010

01-02-2012

^i very much like that idea - a huge exchange of Australasian fauna (such as Platypus, Tasmanian Devil and others) for a collection of exotics to our friends down under, rare antelope, beautiful birds, and many carnivores, such as bears (which apart from sun bears seem to be going extinct in Australia!) what species would you Australian members - and members from new zealand etc like to see in this metaphorical exchange?

01-02-2012

perhaps it might be best to keep the thread on a Tasmanian devil photo to comments on Tasmanian devils? There's plenty of threads in the Australian forum discussing what species are lacking in Australian zoos.

01-02-2012

I think it would make sense in the near future to send large numbers of Tasmanian devils to a select few zoos outside Australia - not just to free up space for devil breeding, but also to further isolate captive populations from the risk of contracting DFTD.

Of course, those select zoos would need to send something back in return. Coatis, maybe?

01-02-2012

in the case of devils it would indeed be a good idea to create insurance zoo populations outside Australia. But of course then there's the problem as to whether they would ever be allowed back into Australia again with the potential biosecurity issues.

In Australia there are a number of zoos on the mainland setting up groups, and there is also talk of establishing disease-free wild populations on the mainland again (I'm not too sure on how advanced that idea is, or if it would ever take place though).

01-02-2012

Of course childonia, apologies.

However, you do make a good point about if they ever would be allowed back into Australia due to the issue you mentioned.

How did so many non Australian zoo's obtain Tasmanian devils in the 1st place then?

01-02-2012

the ones that have been sent to overseas zoos in the past were never intended to be anything other than overseas zoos' exhibits. The same as with kangaroos etc.

I'm not saying that if devils were held in numbers overseas that they would never be imported back into Australia, but it would seem unlikely given the strictness of biosecurity laws over here. New Zealand is the same -- any kiwi in overseas zoos will never be re-imported into NZ because of the risk of disease getting into the wild populations. If devils became extinct in Australia/Tasmania but there were overseas populations then it might be a different matter of course.

02-02-2012

Yes, I’m sure you’re right about this being the first time Tasmanian devils were sent as a wedding gift!

However, it is definitely not the first time they have been sent to a European zoo to mark a royal event. In 1963 a pair of Tasmanian devils were included in a large consignment of Australian fauna (featuring many other mammals and birds) that was presented to the Zoological Society of London to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Australia that year.