The sisters upon their arrival at their new home. Picture: Auckland Zoo
Two Tasmanian devils have left their island home for a new island home – across the ditch in New Zealand.
And they will have company in the shape of a resident male named Nita.
Tasmania’s Environment Minister Nick Duigan said two-year-old sisters Krill and Jellyfish are now settling in at Auckland Zoo.
“Following health checks, on September 3 our Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program transferred Krill and Jellyfish to Auckland Zoo where they will join male Nita,” he says in a government statement.
“Our NRET team provided an Auckland Zoo carnivore keeper with training at the Cressy Wildlife Facility on how to handle the devils and learn more about the species.”
Mr Duigan says the sisters are not required for breeding as a guard against species extinction.
The devils arrive at the zoo to join a resident male named Nita. Picture: Auckland Zoo
Auckland Zoo’s lead carnivore keeper Nick Parashchak trained at Cressy Wildlife and says there’s a lot to love about these animals.
“Historically, the Tasmanian devil hasn’t been well understood,” he says in an Auckland Zoo statement.
“In contrast to its infamous cartoon character, real devils are beautiful animals, naturally quite timid and shy, but also extremely curious.
“They have many distinct (and some very loud and fierce sounding!) vocalisations and physical gestures but most are a bluff and part of rituals and strategies to avoid fighting to prevent harming each other, including when they come together to feed on a carcass,” Mr Parashchak says.
“While still getting used to a whole new world of sights, sounds and smells since arriving on September 4, our night cameras reveal they’re having the time of their lives exploring the habitat when they’re not sleeping together in their nest box.
“They’ve been digging and climbing, and clearly love seeing male devil Nita (5). He’s viewable from his separate area, and their presence is great stimulation for him too,” he says.
“Nita is very active, including during the day, and in time as these sisters fully settle in our visitors are likely to experience a lot more devil action and discover more about what makes this species so special.”
The zoo says they are looking for Aboriginal names for the pair.
The Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program was established in 2013 and plays an advocacy and educational role alongside the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP), itself in 2003 in response to the extinction-level threat of a facial tumour disease ravaging the devils.
The program involves zoos from New Zealand, Japan, Europe, Singapore and United States.
Krill and Jellyfish takes the international Tasmanian devil population to 54.
