The 500th Tasmanian Devil joey has been born at Aussie Ark in the Barrington Tops.
It’s a huge milestone for the conservation organisation who began the journey in 2011 with the first cohort of 44 Devils from Tasmania that began the insurance population breeding program.
Aussie Ark was initially established to save the species from extinction when the deadly Devil Facial Tumour Disease threatened to wipe out the species in the 1990s.
The 500th joey is named Milo and was born in the “wild” in the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary.
Managing Director Tim Faulkner says the 500th joey is a symbol of hope for resurrecting Australia’s ecology in the future.
“The Devil is an apex species.
“In the wild in Tasmania, it protects and provides for the entire ecosystem. It improves and balances out the environment. And that’s a real conservation bang for buck. I love the Devil…and so does Aussie Ark!,” Mr Faulkner said.
Image: Aussie Ark.