Aussie Ark

Last updated

Aussie Ark
Date opened2011
LocationTomalla,
New South Wales, Australia
No. of species100+
Major exhibits Tasmanian devil
Website www.aussieark.org.au

Aussie Ark, formerly Devil Ark, is an animal preservation project based near the Barrington Tops of New South Wales, Australia. The wildlife sanctuary is called the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary.

Contents

History

The project was initially called Devil Ark, when its original goal was to only breed and preserve Tasmanian devils from an aggressive, non-viral transmissible and fatal disease known as devil facial tumour disease. [1] The Devil Ark concept was discussed among zoos in 2006 and formally presented at the Tasmanian devil workshop held in Hobart in 2008, where most stakeholders, researchers and wildlife agencies were represented. The first founding Tasmanian devils were released at Devil Ark in January 2011 and Devil Ark was incorporated as a separate entity in November 2011. [2]

Description

The park is known as Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary. [3] The project is registered as a charity and is fully dependent on voluntary donations.

Tasmanian devils

A group of healthy Tasmanian devil individuals were raised in captivity at the Ark to produce offspring. The project aimed to create a set of one thousand genetically representative devils and is now a major focus of the insurance policy. Previously, Tasmanian devils held in zoos would rarely produce offspring in captivity. Aussie Ark is located on 1,350 m (4,430 ft) altitude in similar weather conditions as found in Tasmania at 500 hectares breeding facility at Ellerston station, just north of Barrington Tops in New South Wales; [1] an initiative of the Australian Reptile Park. In 2013 it was announced that Devil Ark would open for tours on the first Saturday of every month. [4] 2016 saw the 200th Tasmanian devil born through the project.[ citation needed ]

Other species

Due to it success, the project expanded to include other species such as koalas, the Manning River turtle, eastern quolls and the brush-tailed rock wallaby, as well as creating more wildlife sanctuaries. [5] In 2020, Aussie Ark helped reintroduce Tasmanian devils back to the Australian mainland, in the Barrington Tops of New South Wales. [6]

Its breeding program of the eastern quoll reported a record number of joeys born in spring (November) 2022. [3]

In the media

The Ark and its animals have been featured on the wildlife television series Bondi Vet and its spin-off Outback Adventures with Tim Faulkner.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platypus</span> Species of mammal

The platypus, sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species appear in the fossil record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thylacine</span> Extinct species of carnivorous marsupial from the Australian continent

The thylacine is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. The last known live animal was captured in 1930 in Tasmania. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf. Various Aboriginal Tasmanian names have been recorded, such as coorinna, kanunnah, cab-berr-one-nen-er, loarinna, laoonana, can-nen-ner and lagunta, while kaparunina is used in Palawa kani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmanian devil</span> Australian carnivorous marsupial

The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales in mainland Australia, with a small breeding population. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is related to quolls, and distantly related to the thylacine. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate among the strongest bites per unit body mass of any extant predatory land mammal. It hunts prey and scavenges on carrion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wombat</span> Short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials native to Australia

Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials that are native to Australia. They are about 1 m (40 in) in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between 20 and 35 kg. All three of the extant species are members of the family Vombatidae. They are adaptable and habitat tolerant, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of southern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as an isolated patch of about 300 ha in Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrington Tops National Park</span> Protected area in New South Wales, Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freycinet National Park</span> Protected area in Tasmania, Australia

Freycinet National Park is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 125 km northeast of Hobart. It occupies a large part of the Freycinet Peninsula, named after French navigator Louis de Freycinet, and Schouten Island. Founded in 1916, it is Tasmania's oldest park, along with Mount Field National Park. Bordering the national park is the small settlement of Coles Bay, and the largest nearby town is Swansea. Freycinet contains part of the rugged Tasmanian coastline and includes the secluded Wineglass Bay. Features of the park include its red and pink granite formations and a series of jagged granite peaks in a line, called "The Hazards".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quoll</span> Genus of marsupial mammals

Quolls are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. They are primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day in a den. Of the six species of quoll, four are found in Australia and two in New Guinea. Another two species are known from fossil remains in Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits in Queensland. Genetic evidence indicates that quolls evolved around 15 million years ago in the Miocene, and that the ancestors of the six species had all diverged by around four million years ago. The six species vary in weight and size, from 300 g (11 oz) to 7 kg (15 lb). They have brown or black fur and pink noses. They are largely solitary, but come together for a few social interactions such as mating which occurs during the winter season. A female gives birth to up to 18 pups, of which only six survive because she only has six teats with which to feed them. They have a life span from 2 to 4 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern barred bandicoot</span> Species of mammal

The eastern barred bandicoot is a nocturnal, rabbit-sized marsupial endemic to southeastern Australia, being native to the island of Tasmania and mainland Victoria. It is one of three surviving bandicoot species in the genus Perameles. It is distinguishable from its partially-sympatric congener – the long-nosed bandicoot – via three or four dark horizontal bars found on its rump. In Tasmania, it is relatively abundant. The mainland population in Victoria is struggling and is subject to ongoing conservation endeavors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil facial tumour disease</span> Cancer affecting Tasmanian devils

Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is an aggressive non-viral clonally transmissible cancer which affects Tasmanian devils, a marsupial native to Australia. DFTD was first described in 1996. In the subsequent decade the disease ravaged Tasmania's wild devils. Affected high-density populations had up to 100% mortality in 12–18 months. Between 1996 and 2015, DFTD wiped out 95% of affected populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captive breeding</span> Intentional breeding of wild plants or animals in captivity

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrington Tops</span> Mountainous area in New South Wales, Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frozen zoo</span> Storage facility for animal genetic material

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmania Zoo</span> Zoo in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania Zoo is a zoo located in Launceston, in the Australian state of Tasmania. Situated on 900 acres (360 ha) of old growth native bushland, it is home to the state's largest collection of native and exotic animals. Tasmania Zoo is a fully accredited member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association, working closely with all Australasian zoos, and are involved in various species management programs.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Featherdale Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in Doonside, New South Wales, Australia

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References

  1. 1 2 "Devil Ark: saving Tasmanian devils". Australian Geographic. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  2. "How Devil Ark come into being". Devil Ark. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 Siossian, Emma (10 November 2022). "Record numbers of eastern quoll joeys born at Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary". ABC News. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. "Barrington Tops Devil Ark preparing to open to the public as an exclusive wildlife attraction". The Daily Telegraph . 15 November 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  5. "PROJECTS". Aussie Ark. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  6. "Tasmanian devils return to mainland Australia for first time in 3,000 years". Animals. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.