Tassie devil program to end
A PROGRAM that has placed disease-free Tasmanian devils in quarantine facilities is no longer needed and will be closed down, with an announcement expected in State Parliament today.
The Devil Island Project, which began in 2007, used large quarantine facilities or “islands” to house devils without the facial tumour disease for re introduction into the wild.
More than $2.5 million was raised with federal and state government help to build six free-range enclosures and a 4km portable fencing system. The project worked with the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.
Project founder Bruce Englefield said that according to the group the project had been a success but it was no longer required by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment.
“The [Save the Devil] program doesn’t need any more facilities,” he said. The group recently completed two $800,000 projects but Mr Englefield said the project’s demise was not about funding. He said the future of the devil was now safe.
The recently completed Devil Island near Hobart will enable Bonorong’s team at the Menzies Institute to continue their immunisation program.
The final act of the project will be to send $35,000 of funding to the Menzies Institute and to the University of Sydney for research purposes.