Tasmanian Devils at Wellington Zoo are being prevented from breeding, despite a contagious cancer having slashed the wild population of the carnivorous marsupial by 80%.
A Tasmanian Devil at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Photo: AFP
The zoo's Tasmanian devil keeper Kristin Kennedy says the three females and one male in the Australian section can't breed because their genes are well represented in the captive breeding programme in Australia that's trying to save the species.
She says there is nowhere to hold any additional devils at the zoo.
The Australian breeding programme has sent a dozen devils to zoos abroad, including Wellington, so it can focus on breeding animals whose DNA is needed to expand the gene pool and build resilience.
