Save the Tasmanian Devil Program | Government organisation

Save the Tasmanian Devil Program

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Government organisation
• Cause

25.01.2022 Thanks to the amazing team at Orana Wildlife Park and their $5,000 donation, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) have been able to purchase additional virtual fence devices to help reduce the number of animals being killed on our roads. These vital funds contributed to the purchase of 2km of virtual fencing which was installed at identified roadkill hotspot areas on Bakers Beach Road near Narawntapu National Park (NNP) in northern Tasmania. The devices were installed ...prior to the recent release of healthy Tasmanian devils into the park as part of the STDP’s Wild Devil Recovery (WDR) Project. Learnings from previous WDR releases have shown the initial period of time straight after a release is crucial so the program has incorporated numerous strategies to help give released devils the best chance of survival. These strategies include the installation of virtual fence devices and only releasing wild-born Tasmanian devils rather than captive-born as research has shown they are more susceptible to roadkill. For more information about our roadkill mitigation strategies please visit https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au//about-the-prog/roadkill-project We would also like to say a big thanks to Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service staff at NNP who assisted in the installation of the devices.

24.01.2022 Recently a team of wildlife biologists and researchers from the University of Sydney Faculty of Science, University of Sydney moved Tasmanian devils on and off Maria Island in order to increase genetic diversity and sustain the population of healthy animals in the wild. As part of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s (STDP) management plan for Maria Island, 12 Tasmanian devils were removed from the island for release back on to ‘mainland Tasmania’, as part of the Wild Devil... Recovery Project. These animals were specifically selected to ensure maintenance of diversity at the immune genes which are important in the fight against DFTD and other diseases. Ten devils were translocated to Narawntapu National Park while the remaining two were released at Silver Plains, at Interlaken in the Central Highlands alongside three males from the STDP Cressy Captive Management site. In addition to this removal of devils, eight (six females and two males) were selected to be moved onto the island from the Freycinet Free Range Enclosure. Four of the females have pouch young, making it a total of 12 pouch young translocated onto Maria. Wild-born Maria Island devils will continue to be managed into the future to provide a genetically diverse source population for releases back on to mainland Tasmania. These movements also help keep the population of devils on the island at a sustainable level. To find out more about this translocation visit https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au//ferry-ute-and-trap-the-fine-art

23.01.2022 Threatened Species Day is held each year on 7 September and commemorates the death of the last known thylacine (or Tasmanian tiger, Thylacinus cynocephalus) in 1936. The day aims to raise awareness about how we can protect our ecosystems, native plants and animals at risk of extinction, like the Tasmanian devil, but also celebrate our diverse wildlife and the work that goes in to protecting it into the future. Threatened Species Day is a timely opportunity to recognise the co...mmitment of volunteers, organisations, conservationists and researchers and the critical work they do protecting our environment and wildlife. To find out more about Australia’s threatened species visit http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened

20.01.2022 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium welcomes our latest ambassador Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program Coordinator David with open arms. The zoo’s posted a day-long feature about Thyme, Sprout and Mustard’s transition from Australia to their new home in the USA. Check out the series of posts at https://www.facebook.com/columbuszoo/

20.01.2022 The latest ambassador Tasmanian devils have arrived safe and sound! We are so glad to see Sprout, Thyme and Mustard exploring their new home at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The three Tasmanian devils are the latest additions to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s (STDP) Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program which is designed to place suitable Tasmanian devils into world-class zoos as ambassadors for the species. ... These devils play an important conservation role in raising awareness of the plight of the species on the world stage and only prominent zoos with a proven commitment to conservation are selected to participate in this program. The STDP welcomes The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to the Ambassador Program and thanks them for their continued support and contribution to the conservation efforts in Tasmania for this endangered species. Ambassador devils are now featured in zoos in the USA, New Zealand, Europe and Japan. More information can about Ambassador Program can be found at https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au//about-the-pr/ambassador-program

19.01.2022 Launceston Preparatory School students went wild raising money for the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) recently. Students held an Australian animals themed dress-up day, putting in a lot of effort to create their colourful costumes and raise vital funds that will help STDP continue its important work protecting wild devils in their natural habitat. STDP's Errol the Devil and Olivia were invited to the school’s assembly so students could present the money they raised.... Errol was very excited to be able to thank the students in person for their awesome fundraising efforts!

18.01.2022 Dr Carmel Witte from San Diego Zoo Global and Paul Lamp from University of Saskatchewan in Canada recently visited Tasmania to meet with our STDP team to discuss the development of a model of Tasmanian devil population response to management actions. Paul from the University is working on the Agent Based Model for his Masters degree. The model looks at threats to the Tasmanian devil’s population including Devil Facial Tumour Disease, the risk that these threats will lead to ...local extinction, and whether management interventions can mitigate that. The modelling system aims to provide additional resources to the STDP and help inform decision making into the future. The pair also had the opportunity to go into the field for a day at Meadowbank in the Derwent Valley for the first time to see the Tasmanian devils and the reality of the issue first-hand. We are excited about this new collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and the University of Saskatchewan! Big thanks for all your continued support.

18.01.2022 Saving the Tasmanian devil Last night the Tasmanian Governor Her Excellency Kate Warner AC officially launch a new book that details the extensive and multi-faceted conservation efforts that have been undertaken to ensure the long term recovery of the Tasmanian devil. 'Saving the Tasmanian devil: Recovery through Science-based Management' documents the journey taken by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) and partner organisations in the discovery of Devil Facial Tumou...r Disease, the effect it has on wild devil populations, and the outcomes achieved through research and management actions. The book details the lessons learned from a program that has adapted to new information and research over 15 years and provides an insight into the complexities of undertaking a program of this scale. The STDP would like to gratefully acknowledge the many organisations and individuals over the past 15 years that have contributed to help securing the Tasmanian devil in the wild. University of Sydney CSIRO Publishing For more information visit https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au//saving-the-tasmanian-devil-reco

17.01.2022 Want to find out more about the conservation work of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, check out this great article, https://www.themercury.com.au//846c7d6afabdef4761ab636bc83

16.01.2022 Meet Olivia. Olivia is a Wildlife Officer with the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP), caring for captive devils at the Cressy Wildlife Centre. This International Women’s Day, STDP is pleased to celebrate the contribution of women within our organisation by sharing this video, created as part of our agency’s See It. Dream It. Do It. Project - find out more at https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au//careers-a/see-it-dream-it-do-it... The See It. Dream It. Do It. Project aims to increase the visibility of the diverse and numerous operational and field based roles which exist at DPIPWE, and to inspire young women to seek employment in fields in which women have traditionally been underrepresented.

15.01.2022 Staff from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) were very happy to run into an old familiar face today. Tilly, a 6 year old Tasmanian devil, was trapped as part of the STDP’s Wild Devil Recovery monitoring at Stony Head in the State’s north-east. STDP Team Leader Dr Sam Fox says it was great to catch up with Tilly as it’s unusual to see a devil of this age at this particular site.... "Tilly was first trapped in 2016 and our records show she had three offspring in 2017. Today was the third time we have trapped her and after a quick health check she was released back into the wild. Not only did Tilly show no signs of DFTD, even more encouragingly there were indications of her having recently mated so hopefully we will see more of her offspring later this year.

12.01.2022 The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) would like to thank vet practices around the State for the work they do for Tasmanian devil welfare, often out of hours and free of charge. Tasmanian devils are brought into vet practices across Tasmania for all kinds of reasons including road trauma, Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), orphans needing assistance, sometimes even injury from dog attacks. The Department is not able to address all welfare cases and therefore the work o...f these dedicated professionals is vital to ensure that Tasmanian devils receive good care, sadly often euthanizing cases of advanced DFTD. In many cases these vets will also collect important diagnostic samples which make an important contribution to researchers understanding of the disease. At least five practices across the State see Tasmanian devils, providing life-saving treatment which helps us continue to breed and boost the population both in the wild and in captivity. Big thanks to all vets and nurses who continue to support us.