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Conservation organisation Aussie Ark has conducted the first pouch checks of its Tasmanian Devil population for the 2024 breeding season and has welcomed 31 new joeys with still a third oestrus cycle to go.

Tasmanian Devil females experience three oestrus cycles during the winter breeding season. The first occurs in February/March, the second in April/May, so these adorable new joeys vary in age from one to three months old. They are blind, hairless, and totally defenceless, and remain clamped to their mother’s teat for 100 days. The pouch can carry up to four joeys, with each joey another vital contributor to the species’ survival.

Intensive trapping in the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary and Species Recovery Unit secured all females ‘in hand’, with startling results. Aussie Ark Wildlife Ranger Adam Mowbray and Operations Manager Dean Reid worked together to count joey numbers and sex them.

Mowbray shared “It was incredible to see our very first Devil joeys for 2024. This was the first time I’ve been able to lead the charge checking our Devils’ pouches, and so to have a tiny Devil joey in my hands was truly, truly amazing.”

Trapping and pouch-checking mid breeding season is necessary, to record which females are baring young, and monitor the young's progress into the future. The data is also shared with the studbook holder - the Zoological & Aquarium Association - who oversees Australia's breeding program. And finally it enables Aussie Ark to predict total joey numbers this season, and plan accordingly for next year.   

Mowbray added “Aussie Ark has the largest insurance population of this species in the world. And last year we celebrated our 500th Devil joey. So we’re looking to surpass that record this year.”

With all potential Devil mothers in tiptop health, a third oestrus still to go, and more pouch checks scheduled later in winter, Aussie Ark’s confident in another history-making breeding season.

Mowbray enthused “It’s truly incredible to be part of such a vital program - to ensure we don’t lose yet another mammalian species from this planet.”

Aussie Ark urges the public to make tax deductible donations to help its work breeding and rewilding the endangered Tasmanian Devil. Donate now at aussieark.org.au.

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