Tasmanian Devel Unzoo

Now to see the creature that Tasmania is most known for.

The UnZoo contains old or infertile devils.

Tasmanian devils have 30 to 40 babies after a three week gestation.  They spend 100 days in the pouch.  After 9 months they are completely on their own.  The Mother devils only have four teats so only the strongest survive and the dead are eaten by their mothers. 

A tour had just started when we got there.  The guide told us about Tasmanian Devils, and we watched as they ran and fought while waiting for the guide to throw them some food.  These two are sisters and are in an enclosure that is at least 1/2 acre in size.

The ears on this devil show the scars of many fights.

Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer exclusive to Tasmanian devils.   Small lesions or lumps, in and around the mouth, quickly develop into large tumors on the face and neck (and sometimes other parts of the body). The tumors interfere with feeding and the affected animal may starve to death. Once the cancer becomes visible, it is almost always fatal. The first recorded cancers in devils were detected in 1996 by a photographer who noted strange growths on the heads of a group of wild devils he spotted. Wildlife authorities discovered the growths were a form of cancer. The cancer quickly spread throughout the population. The disease has since destroyed 80% of the population.  

DFTD had a transfer rate of 1 to 4, meaning that if one had it, it could give it to four more.  Now the transfer rate is down to 1 to 1.  There was a captive breeding program to ensure that devils didn't go extinct. 

The devils are fed wallaby meat. 

Now that is disgusting!!

Only animal in a cage.

The guide was feeding animals as she went so the animals would come and we could see them.  These are Native Hens and are found only in Tasmania.

This one came out for some food. 

Big Max lived from 1995 to 2001.

Grump Bugger lived from 2000 to 2006.  Tour guide said that wild devils live 5 to 6 years but they can live up to 8 years in captivity.  

To enter the kangaroo area, we had to go through a two-door gate.

Very interesting.

When we entered the kangaroo enclosure (maybe three acres) most of the kangaroo were just laying around under the trees. 

You had to watch where you stepped. 

The guide gave us grass to feed the kangaroos but very few people were lucky enough to have the kangaroos eat out of their hands. 

What I found interesting is how the kangaroos do short hops.  They use their tail to hold up their hindquarters while their rear legs are off the ground.  It's kind of hard to see in this photo....

But this one clearly shows the rear feet are off the ground and the tail is doing the lifting. 

My sister spotted something interesting in this group.

Yep, joey on board.

She spotted something interesting about this one too.

Instead of a head peeking out of the pouch, it was a tail.

Notice the ring of fallen bark around the base of this tree. 

No, we didn't see any.  That's the only thing about an unzoo, you don't see most of the creatures, just the signs telling you about them. 

Saw these interesting growths on some trees...

Then remembers we had also seen them in the Royal Botanical Garden in Sydney.  This tree is called Banksia Plaglocarpa.  Looks like the same thing to me anyway. 

This was a pretty bush. 

This is a Swamp Peppermint.  This eucalypt typically grows on upland sites with poor drainage.  An isolated population occurs on Tasman Peninsula between Port Arthur and Nubeena.  

Another rough barked tree.

We were sitting on some bleachers watching the bird presentation when this Rosella came and sat on a gal's head. 

The guide had different food for different birds.  This bird was drinking from a bottle cap she had just filled. 

These little birds came to eat the seeds she had placed in the dish.

But this larger bird kept chasing them off.

These are Man Fern growing in the Tasmania Devil enclosure. 

This is an Alpine Waterfern.  Endemic to Tasmania, Australia, Macquarie Island, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina.  The wide distribution of this species indicates it was once part of the ancient flora of the Gondwana super continent.  

A small building contained information about The Tasmanian Tiger. 

All the picture and signage was faded and hard to read. 

It was time to head out to the Waterfront Trail.

Most of the trail was a dirt path but this small area had a wooden walkway. They didn't want us falling in the creek. 

We did see one small bird in this area, but it was too far away to identify 

There wasn't any signage for this tree but I think it is a yellow bottlebrush.

The trail ended at Norfolk Bay.  There was a deck that held some benches, some binoculars and a bird identification guide.  

Some more pretty foliage

Loved this old TV front through which you could see the creek.

This was a pretty little birdie.   

Discovered the name of the birdie when I saw this sign at the airport the next day.