Rare feat for Luna the Tassie Devil

LUNA the Tasmanian devil is a truly special success story at Zoodoo wildlife park.

The two-year-old devil gave birth to four joeys — a feat zookeeper Elyshia Wignell said was rare for a firsttime mother.

Luna was born in 2015 and, along with her partner Storm, was handraised by Ms Wignell in the hope they would become a breeding pair.

Ms Wignell said staff completed their first pouch checks in May and discovered that Luna and Storm’s mating efforts had been successful.

So successful in fact that they confirmed four pouched joeys, which is the maximum that can survive as the females only have four nipples in their pouch.

Devils give birth to up to 40 joeys but only the ones who reach the pouch will survive.

Luna and Storm are the only breeding pair at the zoo to have bred successfully this year. The zoo has four breeding couples.

Ms Wignell said the wildlife park was pleased with the devils’ success.

“For a first-time mum it’s really exciting as one to two [joeys] is more likely for the first time,” she said.

Ms Wignell said that during the past few week she had seen the joeys fully emerging from Luna’s pouch and wrestling with one another in their den.

“There are four almost ready to be fully emerged,” she said. “Two have come out at night on her back.”

Devil joeys are thought to become independent from their mothers from as young as nine months old, but will often stay with their siblings until they reach 12 months and then assume a solitary lifestyle.

Luna and Storm are ambassador devils for the Devils in Danger Foundation program at the zoo and can be “adopted” by members of the public to help to raise funds to save them from extinction.