Devil Ark

Devil Ark is the most extensive and important breeding program in Australia for these animals. It is an initiative of the Australian Reptile Park, in partnership with Foundation for Australia's Most Endangered Species (FAME), Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) and the Zoos and Aquarium Association (ZAA). Eventually Devil Ark will have a population of 1,000 or more Tasmanian devils. There are currently 140 adult devils at the Ark. Our dedicated, resident keepers are there around the clock to manage the hundreds of large enclosures where the devils can range in natural bushland conditions in a climate similar to that in Tasmania. The devils will live in these 'Tasmania-like' conditions while the fatal Devil Facial Tumour Disease runs its devastating course through the wild population of Devils in Tasmania. Devil Ark aims to raise awareness and funding in order to avert extinction of the Devil. Devil Ark was set up to breed an �insurance' population of Tasmanian Devils and has been described as the most ambitious breeding program for Tasmanian devils yet. It is believed that in the next 20 years the Tasmanian devil could be extinct on Tasmania due to the rampant effects of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).Since its discovery in 1996, numbers of wild devils have plummeted across Tasmania, and in some areas, more than 85% of the wild population is now extinct.