In the collective imagination, the Devil of Tasmania is called Taz. In the real world, this endemic species of Australia is classified “in danger” on the red list of the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN).
It is therefore a comforting news that Parisians received on Tuesday. The menagerie of the Plantes Jardin Zoo (VE) announced in a press release the arrival in her Bonnie enclosure, a female devil from Tasmania.
From Belgium
She joins Mordo, a male of the same species arrived here in 2023, and thus formed the very first couple of devils of Tasmania in France. “This arrival marks a major step in the commitment of the menagerie in favor of the preservation of endangered species,” rejoices the zoo.
The objective is simple for this structure specializing in the reception of endangered animals: contribute to the reproduction of the species. The veterinarians of the menagerie therefore hope to see these two individuals “to happen again in order to see the birth of the first Parisian devils”.
The Female Bonnie, soon to be 5 years old, was born on May 4, 2020 in a unique conservation sanctuary in Tasmania, Devils Cradle, dedicated mainly to the safeguard of the Tasmania Devil.
“Thanks to a close collaboration with the Australian authorities and the European network of zoological parks, this female joined Paris under optimal conditions of transport and acclimatization from the Planckendael zoo in Belgium,” the menagerie said in its press release.
His new spouse, Mordo, 3 years old, was born on March 23 in Trowunna Wildlife Park. So far, the menagerie hosted two males. The second therefore gave way to Bonnie and joined a Belgian zoo.
80 % of the decimated population
In the wild, the population of the largest carnivore marsupial has been declining rapidly since 1996. This species that can weigh up to 14 kg is decimated by a tumor of the face transferable by bite which has already eliminated almost 80 % of individuals. “No treatment is available and the species is today classified as an extinction,” alerts the zoo.
Faced with this terrible observation, a population of “reserve” was created in 2004, from healthy devils in zoos of Australia and Tasmania. “This allows you to send devils ambassadors In North America and Europe to publicize the animal, the safeguard measures implemented, and contribute to their funding, ”specifies the establishment.
Herb areas, branches, structures on which to climb, water point and shelter: the devils of Tasmania have “very well adapted” to their new environment according to the garden of plants. “Daily, trainers hide dead prey in order to stimulate their hunter instinct and satisfy their appetite because these little devils eat a lot!” About the equivalent of a third of their weight every day in meat, ”describes the menagerie.
The Zoo of the Jardin des Plantes is one of the only two Zoos in France to accommodate this species while only 33 individuals have in all of Europe and 740 in zoological parks and reproduction centers from all over the world.
