I’ve finally found it! The endangered, elusive Tasmanian Devil!
Today I visited the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo where you can get up close and personal with some of Tasmania’s wild creatures. It’s more than just a zoo. Or, I should say, it’s not a zoo at all. I’ll get to that but first the exciting part – I got to watch two Tassie devils wait in anticipation of fresh food then devour a chunk of wallaby! They’re such interesting creatures. About the size of a small dog, they look really cute and cuddly. Yet, they have the strongest jaws next to a shark and can tear tough meat and crunch through bones as if they were toothpicks. They’re carnivores but they don’t hunt. They scavenge for food.
This is part of a month-long cycle tour around Tasmania. If you missed the start of this journey, here’s how it all got started.
Sadly, they’re endangered, due partially to hunting and, more recently, to an infectious cancer. The Tasman Peninsula is the only place in the world where there is still a wild population free of the disease.
The “Unzoo” is a place where people can have face-to-face encounters with animals unique to Australia. Within the area of the park (that’s what I’ll call it), the animals are essentially free to roam. There are kangaroos, wallabies, possums, wombats, and many birds. You can even feed the wallabies and kangaroos. They are very friendly, as you can see.
Another great Tasmanian experience!
Up next is Day 10 of Cycling Around Tasmania.
Eating Snow Around the World 
Reminds me of the cartoon. Really cool!
Thanks! They remind me of the cartoon too but in real life they’re much cuter 🙂
Great shots. We have some pretty unique wildlife here in Australia, don’t we?
You sure do have some unique wildlife in Australia. I’m really enjoying getting to see these animals, especially something as rare as the Tassie Devil.