I went to Healesville on the weekend and saw the single remaining Tassie Devil they have. Getting a large number of disease free Devils breeding should be a priority of all Australian zoos. I asked about why they dont have more and was told that the Tasmainian Government does not want to export any. Another thing which suprised me was in the Platypus building there where several Maquarie Perch on display. These fish are one of our most threatened native fish and the tank did not even have a sigh saying what they were. The last remaning healthy breeding population of Maquarie perch is in the Yarra river where they were translocated to over 100 years ago. All other populations in their natural range are either extinct or declining. These fish so far can not be bred in captivity and are all killed by EHN whcih is spred by redfin and rainbow trout as well as the competition with mass stockings of introduced preditors/compeditors (trout).
I went very recentley and saw two very young tassie devils and i didn't even see a sign saying what type of fish they were
They are currently listing 5.13 on isis, are these new arrivals? Are they part of the new Tas Devil project?
Hi Pygathrix. Yes and Yes is the short answer! They've got a number of pairs set up in off limits areas for breeding.
Thanks Zoo Pro. Can you give us a breakdown of the places receiving new imports and how many they are getting?
Healesville Sanctuary supposedly does have a lot of tasmanian devils offsite and hidden away from the public eye, but isn't the situation similar at Monarto Zoo near Adelaide? I believe that they have a number of tassie devils in a similar environment.
Currently, the Australian Reptile Park, Currumbin Sanctuary, Healesville, Monarto and Western Plains Zoo all have animals that were brought up from Tasmania in the last year or so for breeding. Most of these are not on public display.
