Tassie Devils have a blood-curdling growl that scared the pants off of the first Europeans to enter Tasmania, who assumed there were demons lurking in the bushes. Upon discovering the dog-like creature and its large jaws and sharp teeth, they bestowed the marsupial with its devilish name.

They can also climb trees, are super-fast swimmers and can run at 24km per hour. Their bite can crush through metal, and they use them to consume every part of their prey - bones and all! 

Unfortunately, DFTD has spread rapidly through the wild devil population in Tasmania. DFTD is an infectious cancer that can be spread through biting, fighting and mating. First recorded in the mid-1990s, the transmissible disease has decimated the wild Devil population. At the rate the disease is spreading, the endangered Tassie Devils are at risk of disappearing forever. 

Aussie Ark, located in the Barrington Tops, is Australia’s largest mainland breeding facility for disease-free Tasmanian Devils. Their predator-free conservation sanctuaries allow Devils to maintain their natural behaviours, giving them a greater chance of survival once rewilded. 

By donating to support the Tassie Devil, you’re helping Aussie Ark build up disease-free, insurance populations of Devils that can be rewilded into wildlife sanctuaries.

You can support Aussie Ark’s conservation efforts and help crown the Tassie Devil the 2024 Marsupial of the Year by donating here: www.marsupialoftheyear.com.au