There's a lot to love about them!

Two young Tasmanian devils are busy settling themselves into life at Auckland Zoo’s Australia Bush Track following their recent arrival and relocation from Cressy Wildlife Facility in Tasmania.

The two-year-old sisters, for whom we are seeking palawa kani names (the language of Tasmanian Aboriginals) to honour their heritage, are here as part of the Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program - to raise awareness of their species.

Once widespread throughout mainland Australia, these unique nocturnal carnivorous marsupials (the world’s largest) are today found only in Tasmania. Since emerging in 1996, the highly contagious cancer Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) - spread when mature devils naturally compete for food and breeding partners to mate, has wiped out 80 percent of the wild population.

Auckland Zoo’s lead carnivore keeper, Nick Parashchak, who spent time in Tasmania working alongside colleagues at Cressy in preparation for the sisters’ arrival, says there’s a lot to love about these remarkable and endearing animals.

“Historically, the Tasmanian devil hasn’t been well understood. 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.
And some devil vocalisations are just the equivalent of a friendly Aussie ‘gidday how are you?’ so shouldn’t be mistaken for aggressiveness,” says Nick.