The Upper Hunter will become home to 48 Tasmanian Devils as of November after the Upper Hunter Shire Council approved a Tasmanian Devil Breeding Facility at Tomalla on Monday night.
The breeding facility, Devil Ark, will be constructed on land donated by Ellerston Pty Ltd, on Tomalla Road, which is ideally suited to the environment of the endangered species.
The Australian Reptile Park (ARP) lodged a development application to the council earlier this month for the park to accommodate an insurance population of devils.
The park will provide facilities for 50 breeding animals in 12 pens with a further 20 to 30 to be provided at a later stage.
Devil Ark is an initiative of the ARP in partnership with the Zoos and Aquaria of Australasia and the Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species.
Due to a rare form of cancer causing a dramatic population decline, the Tasmanian Devil has been listed as endangered on the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
The current native population is estimated to be just 20 per cent of the number when first sightings of the cancer occurred in Tasmania in 1996.
The animal’s current numbers on the Australian mainland are around 200 of which 50 are located at the Australian Reptile Park in Gosford.
The Tomalla breeding site is aimed to avert the extinction of the Tasmanian Devil by providing grounds for disease free offspring, that are genetically diverse, to be produced and eventually returned to the wild.
The ideal climate and environment offers the opportunity to breed healthy wild-type devils within high standards of animal welfare in a wild-type environment.
The last stage of the park will include construction of some visitor facilities, however the project is primarily limited to low numbers of school children, most likely from sponsoring schools in the Hunter.
Upper Hunter Shire Council’s Environmental Services director David Casson said the breeding facility offered a significant opportunity for the shire.
“This is an excellent opportunity for the shire to be involved in a ve important project which is the sustainability of an endangered species,” Mr Casson said.
“This is a 30 year program that will be overseen locally by a full time manager and one to two support staff who will live onsite.
“The climate and topography of the area are almost identical to the Devil’s native Tasmanian habitat.”
Australian Reptile Park representative John Weigal address-ed the councillors at Monday night’s meeting.
He said the animals in the facilities would be disease free, having had 12 months quarantine prior to arrival at the facility, and that the tumours (which are present in the Tasmanian based animals only) cannot
be spread to other animals.
He also said that escape from the pens is most unlikely with double fencing and traps provided.
“There is no better place on the mainland to run the program and we’ve been looking for the right location for four years,” Mr Weigal said.
“The property is situated at 1,300 metres so is naturally very cold and there is deep basalt soil which is perfect for digging the deep trenches to ensure the animals cannot escape.
“We have completed analysis of the 24 hectare site.
“The pens range in size from 0.6 hectare up to four hectares.
“The location and size of the facility means there will
be limited impact on any neighbouring property.”
Mr Weigal said the biggest win for the devils in their fight for survival had been finding this wonderful location to establish the breeding program and having the
support of Upper Hunter Shire Council to see it work.
“This is a project that will be part of the Hunter Valley and we hope it will get a lot of sponsorship from the local schools.
Upper Hunter Shire mayor Lee Watts said she was very much in support of the program.
“I think this will be a project we can all be proud of in years to come.”
The first 48 Tasmanian Devils are scheduled to arrive at their new home in November.
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